WeAreTheCity Top 50 Female Rising Stars 2015 presented with trophies in House of Commons ceremony
Winners of the WeAreTheCity Top 50 Female Rising Stars 2015 were presented with their trophies during an awards ceremony at the House of Commons last night.
The winners’ ceremony was hosted by RBS in a lavish event attended by 150 city women.
Representation from the awards sponsors were also present including the likes of Morgan Stanley, Societe Generale, BNY Mellon, Newton Investments, Twenty Recruitment, Reed Smith, Ladbrokes, Guardian Women in Leadership, EY, Barclays, RBS and the Government Equalities Office.
Present at the event was Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice, Minister Equalities and Family Justice, Caroline Dinenage said: “When I was elected to Parliament only a year ago, 22% of women were in Parliament so it is nice to be in a room filled with so many women tonight. We now have the highest number of women in Parliament in history and I am proud to be a part of that to encourage more women and girls across the country. We have finally realised that we don’t need quotas and that change is starting to happen.
“It is fantastic to see an event and awards that focuses on success at every level. It is important to continue to identify female talent and to help them to fulfil their true talent in the workplace.”
She continued: “The pay gap is at the lowest in history and we have eliminated it for women under 40. Businesses are now realising that they can’t miss out on the talent offer from half of the population. We must also remember to support senior women and we are stamping out age discrimination. There are no limits to age, so I’m pleased these awards are for women at the start of their careers.
“This is a kickass room of top notch role models. We need to continue to encourage women to be the best they can be, to overcome challenges and to reach management or the level they desire to be at.”
The rising star awards were introduced to showcase the pipeline of female talent in the UK and to create role models across 10 different industries and professions. The awards focused on celebrating the achievements of women under a management level regardless of age.
Over 340 entries were judged by a panel of 14 independent judges. Over 15,000 public votes were received for the shortlisted nominees from across 112 countries.
100 finalists were invited to an event in August, hosted by Bloomberg, to celebrate those who made the shortlist.
Vanessa Vallely, MD of WeAreTheCity said: “It has been an honour to highlight the achievements of so many incredible women working within these industries. Having the opportunity to present the winners with their trophies in the House of Commons was a fitting end to an awards programme filled with so many amazing women.
“We are so proud of our winners and to be able to shine a light on their hard work and dedication to their careers, regardless of age or level, has been a pleasure. We look forward to following their future success as they continue to go from strength to strength.”
The winners of each category can be found on the We Are The City website.