Diversity In Tech Awards

Finalists announced for 7th annual Diversity in Tech Awards

By Business & Finance

01 August 2024

Pictured (from l-r): Tracey Carney, DITA, Michelle O’Keefe & Tracy Gunn, Platform55, (DITA 2023 winners) Ronan Connell, Generation Ireland (DITA 2023 winners), Claire Rushe, DITA Judge, Thomas Birch & Sarah Dehghanpoor, J.P Morgan.

The Diversity in Tech Awards, in partnership with JP Morgan, is a ceremony that recognises the achievements of Ireland’s most innovative companies and aims to create more inclusive workplaces. DITA is set to take place this September.

The Diversity in Tech Awards finalists for 2024 have been announced today. The event in association with J.P. Morgan is set to take place at 6pm on Thursday, 19th September 2024, at the RDS Concert Hall, Dublin. Over 400 executives from Ireland’s thriving international tech community will be in attendance. The evening’s programme will also include a keynote address by Dr. Alessandra Sala on the theme, ‘AI Excellence: Cultivating a Diverse Ecosystem’. Dr. Sala will look at the systematic approaches necessary to foster an AI development culture of equitable outcomes for all. Highlighting the joint mission of both the private and public sectors, this keynote will focus on building and investing in structural changes by creating an inclusive AI environment.

Since launching in 2018, The Diversity in Tech Awards has highlighted the shift in companies making workplaces more diverse and inclusive, whilst also recognising their efforts to narrow the gender gap. This has been achieved through celebrating Irish women who are driving IT excellence, innovation, leadership and overall success in the tech industry.

Please see finalists and categories below:

Diversity categories and finalists

Diverse Company of the Year – Dogpatch Labs, EPAM Systems Inc., Fidelity Investments, Games Global, Greenhouse Software, Jaguar Land Rover and MongoDB.
Inspirational Diversity Role Model Award – Marcelo Figueiredo e Silva (Greenhouse Software), Gracious Nyamupachitu (Pinterest), Mary Garvey (JP Morgan), Michelle Tyrrell (Global Payments) and Noelia Noel (University of Surrey).
LGBTQ+ Inclusion Award – Cognizant, Greenhouse Software, Oracle EMEA Ltd., Toast and Workday.
Cultural Inclusion Award – Carelon Global Solutions, Cognizant, Fidelity Investments, FINEOS Corporation Ltd, Jaguar Land Rover, Open Doors Initiative and Workday.
Social Impact Award – auticon, Kinia, Optum Ireland Services Ltd, Oracle, Technology Ireland Digital Skillnet, The Big Idea House and Workday.
Neurodiverse Inclusion Award – Accenture, auticon, Fidelity Investments, MongoDB and Rangam Consultants Ltd.
DE&I Excellence in Leadership – Karoline Saffi (Mission Cloud), Denis Dullea (Ericsson), Sebastian Gollwitzer (Fiserv), Jennifer Cox (Tenable), Michelle Cullen (Accenture), Nitheen Kaperi Sanyal (Merck) and John Shaw (Carelon Global Solutions).
DE&I – Special Initiative Recognition – Hostelworld, MongoDB, Presidio Network Solutions, Riot Games, SAP, Uisce Eireann and Workday.
Disability inclusion Award – Criteo, DOST Digital Innovations Center and FINEOS Corporation Ltd.
DE&I Support Network of the Year – EPAM Systems Inc., JP Morgan, Limit Break, NetApp, Oracle, SAP and UCD Women +in STEM Society.

Women In Tech categories and finalists

Tech Leadership Award – Aisling Curtis (PwC), Akshata Moharir (Microsoft), Christelle Savry (Verizon Connect), Ciara Murphy (Optum), Julia Reynolds (JP Morgan), Michelle O’Connor (TaxBit) and Rebecca Keenan (Expleo).
Rising Star Award – Charul Singh (CS Ventures Ltd), Khaula Bhutta (Inclusive Law), Manuela Jeyaraj (ML-Labs), Mia Brzakovic (Atlantic Bridge and EIT Health) and Shweta Soni (EY).
Startup Visionary Award – Dr. Amy Awad (LeanIn Wellness), Rena Maycock (Chirp, formerly Cilter), Rhona Togher and Eimear O’Carroll (Lios Ltd), Sarah Fliessback (shareclub) and Sharon Keegan (Peachylean).
Technical Guru Award – Dr. Amy Awad (Lenovo), Gillian Leetch (Ericsson), Kirstin Woodward (Experian), Ann McCorry (FINEOS Corporation Ltd), Linda Devenney (Fidelity Investments), Nicola (Nix) McDonnell (Workday) and Prerna Asthana (Meta Platforms).
STEM Champion Award – Alessia Paccagnini (University College Dublin), Barbara Quinn (Ericsson), Nicole Baker (biologit), Svitlana Samko (Verizon Connect) and Yen Phan (Technological University Dublin).
Trailblazer Award – Anne Maria Dignam (Ericsson), Dr. Amy Awad (Lenovo), Guergana Yordanova (Verizon Connect), Lisa Walsh (Optum), Amy Ball (PwC), Rizwana Rahman (Intel Corporation) and Rosa Remedor (Accenture).

Finalists for the Diversity in Tech Awards are chosen by a judging panel from a wide range of corporate, not-for-profit and consultancy organisations.

The Diversity in Tech Awards Programme also hosts two Special Recognition Awards. They are the Grace Hopper Award along with the Diversity In Tech Impact Award. The Grace Hopper Award, sponsored by Workhuman, is recognising Dr. Alessandra Sala for her work in AI. A recognised luminary in the realm of Artificial Intelligence, Alessandra Sala is the Senior Director of AI and Data Science at Shutterstock and is the Global President of Women in AI (a non profit do-tank working towards gender-inclusive AI that benefits global society). She has spent the last decade and a half in innovation and research and is fervently committed to merging innovation with real-world applications.

The DIA accolade recognises not-for-profit organisations that have demonstrated exceptional initiative to promote inclusion in the workplace. The Grace Hopper Award honours a female STEM professional whose exceptional achievements and outstanding contributions have made a lasting impact on technology, society, and their profession.

To see the full list of finalists, please see here.

Claire Rush, Executive Director Global Technology, JP Morgan said of the awards, “JP Morgan is extremely proud in this our third year to partner with the Diversity in Tech Awards once again. These awards highlight the critical importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in driving innovation and creativity. Technology flourishes when diverse perspectives come together, and these awards recognise the trailblazers making the tech world more inclusive and equitable. In supporting these awards, we not only celebrate the strides being made but also reinforce JP Morgan’s commitment to cultivating a tech landscape where every voice is respected and valued”.

Announcing the finalists, Tracey Carney, Managing Director of the Diversity in Tech Awards said: “As we announce the 2024 finalists, we continue to champion diversity, equity, and inclusion within the tech industry. Recognising trailblazers like Dr. Alessandra Sala, we celebrate the transformative impact of diverse perspectives. This year finalists reflect the dynamic range of talent and dedication driving progress in our field. Their stories of innovation and advocacy exemplify the strides being made to ensure a diverse and equitable tech landscape for all”.

Finalists get a complimentary ticket. If you wish to purchase extra tickets for the Diversity in Tech Awards, please use this link here.