Further to our announcement on 12th August, we are delighted to share more details of each of the shortlisted nominees, with a reminder of the category overview.

BANO SHEIKH, KPMG

Bano has over 20 years of international professional services experience. Having worked internationally in Europe, USA, Middle East and Pakistan, she joined KPMG in 2019 as a financial services audit partner and is one of the first female Muslim partners in the UK firm. An active speaker at internal and external events, she is helping shape the diversity, equality and inclusion agenda for women in the workplace and is the sponsoring partner for KPMG’s Muslim Network, the firm’s largest faith network with over 900 members. A non-British born Muslim who moved to the UK 15 years ago, Bano has encouraged many to understand the differences between minorities, especially among women with an ethnic Asian background, and acts as a role model for women of colour and with ethnic minority backgrounds. She was especially influential during the pandemic when women in the network and peers from other ‘Big 4’ firms looked upon her for guidance and positive mentorship. Bano was one of the youngest chartered accountants in Pakistan, was the first female to complete the ACCA qualification in Pakistan and was recently recognised by Institute of Chartered Accountant of Pakistan through their outstanding achievement award.

HELEN KRUSHAVE, Tesco Bank

Helen Krushave is Head of Data Privacy within the Tesco Bank Risk team and expanded her role in 2021 as she took on Head of Compliance Advisory and brought together the privacy and advisory teams. Despite the work involved, she also dedicated time to the WIBF mentoring programme as a volunteer mentor. In addition, Helen was the chair of the Tesco Bank Enabled Network between April 2020 and April 2022, having been an active member before. She continues to support the network which aims to champion people with visible and invisible disabilities at Tesco Bank. Responsible for raising the profile of disability across the bank, Helen works with stakeholders to make sure Tesco Bank is more accessible to colleagues, their families, and customers. As well as her leadership in the promotion of neurodiversity, she also helped to organise a carers week to support colleagues who are carers to disabled people, sharing her own experience as a parent of a child with cerebral palsy. Helen has penned articles to help others, including one reflecting on the double whammy of being female and ‘disabled’.

LUCILLE ANKRAH, EY

Lucille has been with EY’s strategy and transactions (SaT) team for more than 13 years and at EY for 16 years. Lucille is seen as an exceptional role model and inclusive leader – both in client delivery roles and as a quality and risk management leader. On top of her mentorship of many in the SaT team, particularly among the minority groups who look to her for coaching and career advice, Lucille founded the SaT Black Network and provided support for other black networks beyond the UK. In driving the discussions on a number of important topics, she has coached the partner group and helped people understand different perspectives. Lucille’s leadership of the development of EY’s ESG due diligence proposition has allowed her to hire and onboard a very diverse team, practically showcasing her inclusive values.

MARY MACPHERSON, EY

For over a decade, Mary has been a leader in digital transformation in the financial services industry across the banking, insurance and wealth management sectors, while building and nurturing diverse and multi skilled teams across the UK. Mary is EY Seren’s first female experience design director and the Scotland studio lead, and is an ambassador for diversity and inclusion, actively working to promote the cultural and competitive opportunities that can develop when intersections of thought, culture and socio-economic background are unlocked. Drawing on her experience in human-centred design, Mary works to create culture change in organisations, with a focus on breaking down barriers, increasing inclusion and accessibility and neutralising bias. An openly gay leader from Northeast Scotland, Mary uses her platform for create pathways and opportunities for women and other minority groups. She is dedicated to coaching and mentoring women at all stages of their careers so individuals can realise their ambitions and achieve their potential.

MITA DAVE, KPMG

Mita is a KPMG partner, a proud mother of twin girls, a strong advocate for gender equality and the lead for the firm’s ‘RaiseYou’ diversity and inclusion programme, which has transformed women’s careers at KPMG. Mita has created an empowered pipeline of a female talent pool – largely emerging from the RaiseYou programme – who are taking charge of their careers having been equipped with the tools to drive their own careers, with the confidence to stand up and speak up. Mita’s leadership has proven that if an organisation is deliberate in its support for women, they will thrive. Aiming to achieve tangible results through practical interventions, Mita’s determination means she continually stands up for diversity, no matter how challenging the issue, which is positively affecting KMPG in the UK and globally, as well as providing a case study for the wider financial services industry. Nina Driscoll, EY A strategic player within EY instigating change through her proven ability to achieve, lead and drive innovation, Nina leads from the front and brings to life the firm’s UK banking technology strategy on all levels. She leads EY’s diversity, equality and inclusion client service strategy for financial services clients across the 18+ markets in its EMEIA (Europe, Middle East, India and Africa) region. Instrumental in shaping game-changing initiatives – both internally and externally – one success includes a series of fluency panels to drive a more inclusive environment for 15,000+ colleagues, allowing them to be comfortable in being themselves and driving active discussions with other colleagues. A key focus in 2022 has been the rollout of the EY European Women in Technology webcast series (seen in 30+ countries with over 3,000 registrants) and the identification of issues raised by the FCA/PRA/Bank of England discussion paper which led to 10+ roundtables being held in London and other key national market locations to actively engage clients.

NINA DRISCOLL, EY

A strategic player within EY instigating change through her proven ability to achieve, lead and drive innovation, Nina leads from the front and brings to life the firm’s UK banking technology strategy on all levels. She leads EY’s diversity, equality and inclusion client service strategy for financial services clients across the 18+ markets in its EMEIA (Europe, Middle East, India and Africa) region. Instrumental in shaping game-changing initiatives – both internally and externally – one success includes a series of fluency panels to drive a more inclusive environment for 15,000+ colleagues, allowing them to be comfortable in being themselves and driving active discussions with other colleagues. A key focus in 2022 has been the rollout of the EY European Women in Technology webcast series (seen in 30+ countries with over 3,000 registrants) and the identification of issues raised by the FCA/PRA/Bank of England discussion paper which led to 10+ roundtables being held in London and other key national market locations to actively engage clients.

NOELEEN COWLEY, KPMG

Noeleen Cowley, KPMG Noeleen Cowley is a partner within the financial services consulting division at KPMG UK. One of the youngest female partners in the firm, having been promoted in 2016 at 33 years of age, she has worked with major financial institutions across the industry on their transformation agenda, helping to prevent regulatory censure and build capability to address risks in the market. More recently, her focus has been on ESG strategy and implementation, bringing to the fore the ‘Social’ elements of the ESG agenda with major banking clients – including human rights, employee propositions and the diversity and inclusion agenda – and has grown this business from a standing start to a core team of 30 employees and a multi-million-pound revenue stream for KPMG UK. Noeleen is also the founder and co-sponsor for Raise You, KPMG’s programme to improve diversity within its financial services consultancy and is the sponsor of Workability, KPMGs network for colleagues with disabilities and long-term conditions.

RICHARD HAMMELL, DELOITTE

Richard has been the Deloitte’s financial services business’s Managing Partner since March 2020 and has over 30 years’ experience in the industry. Leading a team of 7,000 industry specialists, he can pursue his ambition to build a better financial system through the impact his teams deliver on and via the publication of insights on market-changing themes, such as the future of money, sustainability, the regulatory agenda and international competitiveness. He is committed to creating an inclusive culture and inspiring the next generation of financial services, while supporting socio-economic change through financial inclusion, sustainable finance and the eradication of economic crime. Richard is also a member of TheCityUK’s Leadership Council and sponsors Deloitte’s financial services Women in Leadership programme, which he believes could be a blueprint for other industries.

ROB RITCHIE, WELLS FARGO

Rob is International Head of Banking & Capital Markets for Wells Fargo’s corporate and investment banking division. Based in London, UK. Rob also serves on the International Executive Committee, EMEA Executive Committee, the Wells Fargo Bank N.A. London Branch Management Committee and the Wells Fargo Securities International Limited Executive Committee. As the executive sponsor for the Women’s Connection network in EMEA, he has taken the lead in the rollout of gender equality events across the region and ensures the network has a voice at the executive and operating committee level. In addition, Rob has led on a number of initiatives that have contributed to the advancement of women at Wells Fargo, ensuring that women are hired and retained at the most senior levels of the bank, while ensuring that his teams interview a diverse slate of candidates for roles at all levels and that internal female talent has mentoring and advancement opportunities. Rob is also focused on ethnic diversity within his female leadership team.