Speakers

Speaker profile

Vanessa is one of the UK’s most well-networked women and has provided keynotes on a variety of career related topics for over 600 companies and 40,000 women worldwide. Vanessa is one of the UK’s most prominent figures in gender equality and often provides guidance and consultancy to both government and corporate organisations who are seeking to attract, develop and retain their female talent. Vanessa was awarded her OBE from King Chrles in June 2018 for services to women and the economy and her honorary Doctorate of Science from Warwick University in 2024.

At the height of her successful 25-year career in Banking and Finance, Vanessa launched the award winning WeAreTheCity in 2008 as a vehicle to help women progress in their careers. WeAreTheCity and its sister organisation, WeAreTechWomen now has over 80,000 members and provides resources/conferences/awards/jobs to women globally. To date Vanessa has helped over 50,000 women to network and gain new skills. In 2024, Vanessa also launched the first ever National Women in Tech week which provided over 50 free events to Women in Tech across the UK.

Vanessa is also the founder of the Rising Stars, TechWomen100, Trailblazer50 and Pioneer20 awards. Through these awards she has raised the profile of over 2,200 remarkable women and men.

Vanessa is author of the book “Heels of Steel: Surviving and Thriving in the Corporate World”, which tracks her career climb from a council estate in east London to the C-suite. Her new book is due for release in 2025.

Over the past 15 years, she has accumulated 26 industry awards, including Women in Banking & Finance’s Champion for Women, Financial News’ Top 100 Rising Star, The International Alliance for Women’s Top 100 Women globally, Brummell’s Top 30 London Entrepreneurs, and most recently, she was inducted in to Computer Weekly’s Hall of Fame as an icon for Women in Tech. Vanessa was also cited in GQ UK’s Top 100 Connected Women and the Evening Standard’s 1000 Most Influential Londoners. Vanessa is a regular guest on TV and radio and has appeared on Sky News, the BBC, Talk London and Radio 4.

Vanessa is also the Pearly Queen of The City of London, a tradition that has been in her family for over 100 years. She is an avid charity worker and has sat on various boards, including Prostate UK and Cancer Research UK as one of its Women of Influence. Vanessa is currently a trustee for MS Together, a charity that supports 18-35 year old’s who have been diagnosed with MS.