Today marks International Women’s Day, a day for celebrating women and their achievements around the world. As part of this below are 30 women from various walks of life such as finance, tech, and sports who have achieved great things and continue to break boundaries both in and out of work.
Roni Savage
Savage is a chartered engineer who is the Managing Director & Founder of Jomas Associates, an engineering & environment company serving the construction industry since 2009. Additionally Savage is extremely passionate about gender diversity and social mobility, volunteering her time to mentor and coach others.
Ann Cairns
Cairns is the Executive Vice Chair for Mastercard, she represents the company around the world focusing on inclusion, diversity and innovation. She is also global chair of the 30% Club and the chair of the Financial Alliance for Women, working to combat gender and race inequality at board and senior management levels.
Grace Ukwuenyi
Ukwuenyi was the first Black woman to cover European Asset managers for FX at Barclays . She now leads Sub-Saharan African sales coverage for a large European lender. Additionally, she previously founded an award-winning lifestyle app
Kamelia Aryafar
Aryafar is a technology and AI executive at Google focusing on Retail solutions. Prior to Google Aryafar has served as the EVP, Chief Analytics and Algorithms officer and board member for Overstock.com. Kamelia holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Drexel University and is passionate about Artificial intelligence and emotional health in young adults
Grace Ladoja, MBE
Ladoja is the founder of Metallic Inc, a global culture studio that joins the dots between culture, music and brands for the audiences who lead the zeitgeist. She is also the founder of ‘Homecoming’ an annual festival and ‘cultural exchange between Africa and the world’ spotlighting and nurturing rising creative talent in music, fashion, sport and art.
Sumit Chauhan
Chauhan is an engineering executive at Microsoft, she heads up the engineering for the Canvas organization in OXO which includes Word and PowerPoint across mobile, web and desktop. Chauhan is also an avid supporter of API Chaya – a grassroots organization that provides support to people who have experienced domestic violence, human trafficking and exploitation.
Aishatu Ahmad
Suleiman is a Northern Nigerian female polo player, photographer, and entrepreneur. She is one of the very few black female polo players in the world and the only female polo player from the Northern Nigeria
Kihmberlie Douglas
Douglas is a creative who since 2017 has been conceptualizing concepts, building sets, modeling, and photographing herself in editorial looks. She’s inspired many creators to “work with what they have” no matter their resources.
Timnit Gebru
Timnit Gebru is a computer scientist who works on algorithmic bias and data mining. She is an advocate for diversity in technology and co-founder of Black in AI, a community of black researchers working in artificial intelligence.
Zeze Millz
Millz is a cultural commentator. Her eponymous self-titled weekly YouTube series, The Zeze Millz Show, sees her interview various popular and infamous personalities, notching up hundreds of thousands of views per video. She has recently been signed to record label Since ’93 – joining the likes of Wiz Kid, Krept & Konan, Naughty Boy and Loski.
Pippa Lamb
Lamb is an angel investor and Partner at Sweet Capital. She focuses on consumer software, with a particular interest in consumer internet, fintech and next generation social communities. Lamb is passionate about creating more diversity in venture capital and technology. Her angel investments include Clubhouse, Joro and The Stack
Asisat Oshoala
Oshoala is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays for Spanish side FC Barcelona Femeni and she is the current holder of the African women’s player of the year award.
Jackie Park
Park is the US Co-Managing Partner of international law firm DLA Piper. She started her career in the mid-eighties as the only Asian American associate at a law firm and has risen to become one of the first Asian American women to be a partner in a big law firm.
Negar Mortazavi
Mortazavi is an Iranian-American journalist and political analyst based in Washington. She has been covering Iranian affairs and US-Iran relations for over a decade. She is a columnist for The Independent and host of the Iran Podcast. She is a frequent media analyst on Iran and has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, BBC, France24, Aljazeera, and other media outlets in China, Turkey, and Israel.
Moe Odele
Odele is an international finance attorney, angel investor and Founder of Vazi Legal – a US and Nigeria-based technology law firm. She is also founder of Scale My Hustle – a social enterprise that helps entrepreneurs build better-structured businesses by providing educational content and a community spread across 23+ countries on the continent and in the diaspora.
Lola Ogunkoya
Ogunkoya is a Vice President at JP Morgan covering clients globally in Equities sales-trading. She is also the founder of Black Women in Finance (BWIF) a global network with 400+ members that serves as a platform to not only connect talented women, but support them personally and professionally.
Sarafina El-Badry Nance
El-Badry Nance is an Egyptian-American astrophysicist, science communicator, & women’s health advocate. She hosts the astronomy TV show Constellations (on all Seeker platforms), author of forthcoming children’s book Little Leonardo’s Fascinating World of Astronomy (August 2021), and shares her breast cancer prevention story publicly to empower others to face their health risks.
Opeyemi Sofoluke
Sofoluke is the EMEA Lead for Global Technology, Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) at J.P. Morgan. In her role, she is responsible for designing and executing the overall Technology D&I agenda across an organisation of 5.5K technologists. Additionally, She is also the co-author of Twice As Hard, a business book being released in June 2021 exploring Black identity in the workplace.
Sally Suleiman
Sally Suleiman is a Humanitarian, Strategist, Influencer, Motivator and Writer. She is the Founder of “The Isolycia Foundation”, an NGO that focuses on Education for children in rural areas in Nigeria
Kirsten Simmons
Kirsten Simmons is an NBA-certified Agent working at Quartexx Basketball. Based in Toronto, Canada, she has spent several years supporting players all over the globe. Kirsten prides herself on the relationships she has built with clients, coaches and front-office personnel worldwide.
Corinne Nevinny
Corinne Nevinny is a pioneering female C-Suite executive. She is is one of the 12% of decision-making venture capitalists who are female; she invests as part of both Astia Angels and as co-founder and general partner of Avestria Ventures, both of which focus on funding female entrepreneurs. Previous roles include CFO of Edwards Lifesciences.
Nicky Bamgbade
Bamgbade is a confidence coach who works with mums to develop healthy habits and routines. Through her platform she has worked with women dealing with depression, post natal problems as well as mothers who have kids and need help and encouragement. She is a digital ambassador for for All Bright as well as being a contributor and talent spotter for Women’s Health magazine.
Kazvare
Kazvare is a writer, illustrator and graphic designer who is forging a name for herself with her often ‘sassy sketches and searing satire’ (GRAZIA). Her work has been featured in VOGUE (UK and Japan) and she has also collaborated with major brands such as Adidas and Facebook and held a pop-up exhibition at the Tate Modern.
Shweta Chauhan
Chauhan is the first female Stake Pool Operator on Cardano. She is the CEO of kBlocks Stake Pool and is the Co-founder of Lovelace Academy. Her aim is to educate and empower women by teaching them how to code on blockchain technology. She is achieving this through Lovelace Academy, a platform co-founded by her specifically to teach “How to build Smart Contracts on Blockchain”.
Sandra Igwe
Igwe is a maternal health advocate, inclusion consultant, co-chair of the U.K. National inquiry into Racial injustice in Maternity Care and is the Founder of The Motherhood Group, a social enterprise that delivers workshops and large scale events interacting with thousands of black mothers.
Nicola Lamb
Lamb is a pastry chef and the author of Kitchen Projects, a newsletter and journal that offers readers a look behind the scenes on the highs and lows of recipe development. In 2020 Lamb co-founded Puff the Bakery, heralded by Vogue Magazine as a “cult bakery pop-up” that later transformed into a virtual pastry school with over 2,000 students during lockdown.
Nayamka Roberts-Smith
Award-winning esthetician Roberts-Smith educates her audience of nearly 1 million with a playful delivery of scientific skincare information that makes learning fun. After closing her six-figure spa studio in Beverly Hills due to COVID-19, she pivoted to create a six-figure e-commerce business as well as brought in six-figures in brand partnerships.
Jess Davis
Davis is the Manager of Youth Basketball Operations for the Cleveland Cavaliers. She is also the Founder/CEO of GameHer, a gaming company started in 2013 to unite & connect women in gaming around the world, while also providing merchandise to make women feel empowered and proud of their lifestyle. You can find out more on www.gameher.com.
Dr Amina Ibrahim, MBE
Ibrahim is a medical doctor who has trained over 2,500 people to aid those who are victims to either knife crime or acid attacks. She has done this in addition to a significant amount of work around the world working with inner city youth.
Yamini Rangan
Rangan is Chief Customer Officer at HubSpot, overseeing the marketing, sales, and services teams. In a career spanning over 24 years she has held a number of senior roles at firms including Dropbox, Workday and SAP.
This article is part of a series featuring underrepresented people making a difference. To submit ideas for features or keep up to date with new releases you can find me on Twitter – @TommyASC91.