Novi, the UK’s premier network championing women in business and gender equality, today announced the shortlist for the landmark 16th Annual Novi Awards 2026. This year’s awards honour 132 remarkable women leaders whose influence, vision, and impact are creating meaningful change across industries, communities, and generations.
The Ripple Effect of Women’s Leadership
The 2026 theme, “Lift As You Rise”, celebrates women who understand that climbing higher means nothing if you don’t reach back for the woman behind you. It’s the ambition it takes to rise in the first place; the mentorship, sponsorship and plain generosity it takes to lift others as you climb; and the full-circle moment when today’s winners become tomorrow’s judges, mentors and sponsors. From transforming boardrooms and industries to building inclusive pathways for future leaders, this year’s shortlist exemplifies the belief that real progress isn’t just personal, it’s passed on.
Griselda Togobo, Founder and CEO of Novi, commented:
“Our 2026 shortlist is a powerful reflection of this year’s theme, Lift As You Rise. These women are not simply achieving success for themselves, they are reaching back for the next woman behind them. As we continue to watch past winners return as mentors, judges and sponsors, it’s clear that the real measure of leadership isn’t how high you climb, but how many people you bring with you.”
Ruby Raut, 2025 Novi Businesswoman of the Year and CEO & Co-founder of WUKA, added:
“Winning the Novi Businesswoman of the Year Award meant more to me than recognition, it was validation that building a business around purpose, not just profit, truly matters. WUKA was born from a single lightbulb moment, and this award reminded me that one woman’s conviction really can shift an entire conversation. I’m honored to pass the torch to this year’s incredible shortlist, and I can’t wait to see how they lift up the women coming after them.”
Award Categories
The 132 shortlisted candidates will compete across 15 categories, including:
- Novi Emerging Leader of the Year
- Novi Engineering Excellence Award of the Year
- Novi Rising Star of the Year
- Novi Technology Leader of the Year
- Novi Transformational Leader of the Year
- Novi Senior Executive of the Year
- Novi Data AI Leader of the Year
- Novi Academic Leader of the Year
- Novi Inspiring Mentor of the Year
- Novi Social Impact of the Year
- Novi Changemaker of the Year
- International Leadership Excellence
- Novi Disruptor of the Year
- Novi Female Entrepreneur of the Year
- Novi Start Up of the Year
An overall Novi Businesswoman of the Year will also be selected from this year’s shortlist.
The full shortlist can be viewed at: www.thenoviawards.com
The full shortlist for The Novi Awards 2026:
Novi Emerging Leader of the Year;
Akua Opong, Senior Engineer, LSEG; Alex Bowness, Platform, Quality and Governance Manager, Rolls-Royce SMR; Anupama Hatti, Head of Programme Delivery, NHS Blood and Transplant; Chiara Walker, Project Manager, BAE Systems Applied Intelligence Ltd; Frankie Thatcher, Product Assurance Lead, BAE Systems Digital Intelligence; Harriet Rose Robins, Director, Alvarez & Marsal; Kumkum Gupta, Engineering Manager, Accenture; Louisa Denly, Product Manager, IBM; Lucy Miles, Chief of Staff, MBDA; Rachel Fenton, Senior Finance Business Partner, BAE Systems; Sarah Reeder, Senior Manager – Service Strategy, Sky; Stephenie McKenna, Senior Manager, PwC UK
Novi Engineering Excellence Award of the Year
Donna Kelly, Service Manager – Highway Services, London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Council; Dr Hande Côté, Senior Director Infrastructure & Capital Projects, Ex Alvarez & Marsal; Emelia Ntiamoah, Subsea Engineer, SLB OneSubsea; Marisa Kurimbokus, Head of Engineering, Raeon; Nana Odom, Head of Clinical Engineering, Cleveland Clinic London; Nikkala Pokojski, Senior Software Engineer, Kainos; Saba Maskin, Principal Energy and Sustainability Engineer, WSP; Shruti Patil, Carbon & Energy Manager, Frasers Group Plc; Tashfia Ahmed, Senior Scientist, FreshCheck; Yewande Akinola, EMEA Technical Director, CBRE Global
Novi Rising Star of the Year
Anusha Gundala, Senior Software Engineer, Sky Group Limited; Bethan Hulbert, Senior Associate, Inclusive Diversity Team, Alvarez & Marsal Europe LLP; Emma Osman, Strategic Partnerships Manager, Google Cloud; Hiba Hanif, Data Analyst, CFC Underwriting Ltd; Karmen Yee, Privacy Counsel, Alvarez & Marsal; Kate Smith-Roberts, Security Consultant, BAE Digital Intelligence; Kayisha Payne, Senior Associate, Healthcare & Life Sciences Consultant, Alvarez & Marsal; Kelly Howes, Software Engineer, Compare the Market; Sarah Wright, Lead UX Designer, Virgin Media O2; Sasha McCaskie, Group Head of Employee Experience, Barratt Redrow; Shubhangi Goyal, Senior Analyst, Admiral Group Plc
Novi Technology Leader of the Year
Aji Bawo, Head of Product – Technology, Tesco; Anastasiia Gubska, Lead Software Engineer, JPMorganChase; Karen Medhat, Global Account Technical Leader, IBM; Kiranpreet Chawla, Senior Solutions Architect, Amazon Web Services; Leena Kalani, Consulting Partner, Wipro Consulting; Malini Jeyachandran, Engineering Lead, Lloyds Bank; Neha Seth, Senior Manager Technology, Publicis Sapient; Shreya Sanyal, Tech Architecture Specialist, Accenture; Suveni Surinder, Technology Specialist, Tech Mahindra; Suzanne Harrison, Director, Data and Digital, Defence, BAE Systems
Novi Transformational Leader of the Year
Ekta Soni, Head of Change & Transformation, Walker Crips (Phillip Capital company); Jane Cooke, Senior Talent Development Manager, Rolls-Royce SMR; Jasmina Negrini, In transition; Melissa Di Donato, Chair and CEO, Kyriba; Poonam Kaur, CEO, fds Director Services Limited; Stefanie Bongs, Business & Operational Excellence Director, GKN Aerospace; Suneeta Khutan, Global Programme Enterprise HR Workday & ServiceNow Lead, Fresenius; Vikki Szymanksi, Business Design Lead (Contractor), The Pensions Regulator; Yvonne U. Beresford, Commercial Medical Director, Vitality
Novi Senior Executive of the Year
Allison Coucher, Head of Business Services, Sky; Anna Cleland, Chief of Staff to BUK COO & Head of BUK BX Oversight, Barclays UK; Johann Muldoon MBE, Managing Director, Manor Architects; Marija Simovic, Co-Lead, Corporate Transformation Services (EMEA), Alvarez & Marsal; Nikki Coles, Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal Disputes and Investigations LLP; Renee Preston, CEO, Gallaway Construction; Ruhina Kassam, CEO, Clinical Pharmacist Solutions; Sam White, Head of SME, Barclays Bank; Sophie Seddon, Non-Executive Director & Board Chair, Novus Property Solutions
Novi Data AI Leader of the Year
Lydia Ray, Data & AI Technical Expert, Databricks; Neha Bhutani, Data Engineering Lead, Publicis Sapient; Roushanak Rahmat, Enterprise AI Architect & Associate Professor, HCLTech; Sherifat Akintunde-Shitu, AI & Data Senior Manager, Accenture; Sreepooja Katraju, Senior AI & Cloud Platform Engineer, Accenture UK & Ireland; Zoe Kelly, Head of Data and Insights, Serco
Novi Academic Leader of the Year
Agnes Anuka, PhD Researcher, University of Nottingham; Gulbanu Kader, Founder & International Independent Education Consultant, School Improvement Service; Jemimah Magit, PhD Researcher in Mechanical Engineering, University of Nottingham; Rehana Sahraouei, Teacher of Mathematics, Rosebuds Bedford; Tasneem Yousif, PhD Researcher and Teaching Assistant, University of Nottingham – Nottingham Geospatial Institute; Victoria Nicholl, Head of Incubation Services, Imperial College London
Novi Inspiring Mentor of the Year
Anna Cummings, Finance Manager, YMCA Derbyshire; Bamidele Farinre, Agile Project Manager, OpenClassrooms; Donna Ohdedar, CEO, Review Consulting Ltd; Farzana Naz, Director, Saracens Solicitors; Janet Murray, Business Mentor; Karen Cairney, CEO and Founder, Karen Cairney & Company Ltd (trading as Cairney and Company); Maria Peggs, Founder, Vispera Ltd; Nikki Alderson, Talent Retention and Women’s Leadership Specialist, Nikki Alderson Coaching; Patrice Bailey, Founder + Principal Consultant, Patrice Bailey International; Ruth Newton, Founder, Staycation York Limited; Trusha Lakhani, Founder and CEO, Great Business Matters Ltd
Novi Social Impact of the Year
Caroline Underwood OBE, CEO, Philanthropy Company; Dawn Dines, CEO, Stamp Out Spiking; Dr Bettina Leslie, Founder/ CEO, freedom4girls UK; Emily Chalke, Co-Director, Ella’s; Emma Underhill, Chief Executive, UP Projects; Jillian Alexander, Solicitor/Founder, Unbound Programme CIC; Kalpana J Bose, Chief Operations Officer, Select.London; Karen Emelu, Founder & International Speaker, Black Girls In Tech; Leila Thomas, Founder & CEO, Urban Synergy; Natalie Desty, Founder and Director, STEM Returners; Oksana Kalala, Managing Director, New Arrivals Support CIC; Oksana Lovochkina, CEO, Ukrainian Medical Charity
Novi Changemaker of the Year
Billie O’Connor, CFO, Mulberry, Founder, The NOVA Community; Emilie Lavinia, Journalist, Tenth Muse Group; Gina Miller, Businesswoman & Campaigner, SCM Direct; Kim Rowell, Chair & Trustee; Maria Axente, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Responsible Intelligence; Sarah Tijou, Senior Vice President, Panelle
Novi International Leadership Excellence
Amita Mirajkar, CEO and Co-Founder, ClairX Limited; Georgia Jones, Global Product Lead, Mastercard; Johanna Moreira, Director Partnership Office, Alvarez & Marsal; Julia Lehner, Director, Alvarez & Marsal; Larisa Munteanu, Head of Legal & Governance, Integrit Integrated Solutions Ltd; Liubov Shchigoleva, Chief of Operations, Qualtir
Novi Disruptor of the Year
Adele Reid, Managing Director, ABC+ Warranty; Adrienne Houston, Company Director, Eurovacuum Products Ltd; Carlene Jackson, CEO, Cloud9 Insight; Dr. Emma Williams, CEO, emwillcare; Fiona Pare, Founder, Queensdale Residential; Vinita Rathi, CEO, Systango
Novi Female Entrepreneur of the Year
Jade Devall, Owner, Design 44; Janine Claber, Director, Marick; Katie Harrison, Director, Picture News; Marine Vincent, CEO, The French Pharmacy; Sarah Louise Gallagher, MD/ Founder, Impulse Recruitment; Toks Aruoture, Founder, The Baby Cot Shop; Victoria Jenkins, CEO and Founder, Unhidden
Novi Start Up of the Year
Ana Maria Ferreira da Silva, Co-Founder, CEO & CTO, Replica Biomaterials Ltd; Katie Humphrey, Founder, Curiously Divergent; Carla Maria Ferreira da Silva, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Replica Biomaterials Ltd; Emily Bailey, CEO, JECO; Ewelina Radziewicz, Chief Operating Officer, Intellistart Limited; Gill Cooke, Inclusion Consultant & Coach, Gill Cooke IDEA Consulting; Lauren Neal, Chief Programme Creator, Valued at Work Ltd; Leah Boxell, Founder & CEO, Enablists Ltd; Louise Wheeler, Owner/Founder, L C Consultancy Limited; Simona Pillay, Founder and CEO, Insight Fire Solutions Ltd; Sonia Ginty, Founder, Life After Being Sectioned
Selection Process
An esteemed panel of judges, comprising leaders from some of the world’s most renowned organisations, will evaluate each candidate against criteria including leadership, personal insight and influence, business awareness and impact, and community involvement.
Event Details
The 16th Annual Novi Awards ceremony and leadership summit will take place on Friday, 20th November 2026 at The Londoner Hotel, London. The event will feature a leadership summit alongside the awards ceremony, offering attendees a unique opportunity to network and gain insights from some of the most influential women leaders who embody the spirit of Lift As You Rise.
Novi extends its gratitude to this year’s sponsors: Rolls-Royce SMR, Alvarez & Marsal, and Moonrise 24hr Recruitment Ltd. Their support ensures that the awards continue to inspire, celebrate, and elevate the next generation of women leaders.
The programme will also be used to support its charity novi FUTURES to break barriers for the next generation of future leaders.
For more information about the Novi Awards and to view the full shortlist, please visit: 2026 Novi Awards Shortlist
Tickets for the awards ceremony and leadership summit are available for purchase at: thenoviawards.com/tickets/
About Novi
As part of its commitment to advancing women in leadership and shining a spotlight on women breaking barriers, Novi hosts The Novi Awards annually. This flagship event celebrates women breaking barriers and shaping a more inclusive future of business. At Novi, we believe we are Unstoppable Together.
For more information about Novi visit https://www.wearenovi.com or contact [email protected].
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