Winners of the Diversity Inclusion Tech Awards 2026

The Diversity Inclusion Tech Awards (DITA) 2026 took place on 17 September at The Gibson Hotel, Dublin.

Now in its 9th year, DITA celebrates individuals and organisations working to improve diversity and inclusion across Ireland’s technology sector. Originally launched as Women in Tech Awards in 2018, DITA rebranded in 2020 to recognise the need to tackle a wider range of diversity issues across the tech industry. 

Today, the awards attract hundreds of nominations from multiple countries across Europe, the US, and the UAE. The awards recognise individuals and organisations developing initiatives around diversity, inclusion and equality in the technology sector.

This year, the awards introduced several category changes, reflecting a broader focus on how organisations can build more inclusive workplaces and improve access to opportunities across the technology sector. Elaine Burke hosted the ceremony, which brought together technology companies, industry leaders and diversity and inclusion advocates from across Ireland and beyond.

Dr Ann Kelleher, winner of the Kay McNulty Award

Dr Ann Kelleher is a pioneering electrical engineer and former corporate executive best known for her nearly three-decade career at Intel, where she led global manufacturing and technology development. A native of Macroom, County Cork, Ireland, she made history as the first Irish person to be named an Executive Vice President at the semiconductor giant.

She reflected on her own professional journey, which has focused on hardware, semiconductor device physics, fabrication, manufacturing, and technology development.

She emphasised that semiconductor engineering means confronting fundamental constraints imposed by the laws of physics, optics and statistics. She recalls having to explain to her managers that some challenges were not simply the result of engineers “getting it wrong”; they were dealing with fundamental physical limitations that apply equally around the world.

“Technology either works or it doesn’t. And if it doesn’t work, you better work it out and get it working.”, Dr Kelleher reflected. “We cannot afford to leave any of the talent behind or on the sidelines”.

Pictured: Dr Ann Kelleher holding the Kay McNulty Award.

Dr Abeba Birhane, winner of the Inspiration Award

Dr Abeba Birhane is an Ethiopian-born cognitive scientist widely recognised as a leading global voice in artificial intelligence accountability, algorithmic bias, and ethical machine learning. She is currently an Assistant Professor of AI and the founder and director of the AI Accountability Lab (AIAL) at Trinity College Dublin.

Daniel Donleavy, presenting the award on behalf of Dublin Tech Summit, described Dr Bihane as a pioneering voice in AI whose research and commitment to questioning how society thinks about technology are inspiring the next generation.

A central theme of Birani’s speech was the gap between the way AI is discussed publicly and what the technology is actually capable of doing. She argued that the AI industry “thrives in hype” and that there can be a substantial discrepancy between what people hear about AI systems and what those systems are actually doing.

She pointed to recent reports about AI systems allegedly “going rogue”, including claims concerning OpenAI agents supposedly escaping control. For Birani, these stories demonstrate how hype can overshadow a more nuanced understanding of what is actually happening inside AI systems.

Pictured: Dr Abeba Birhane holding the Inspiration Award.

A full list of the winners is available below