Celebrating excellence at the 2025 WIBF Shortlist Reception
news published date 6 October 2025The 2025 Women in Banking and Finance Awards Shortlist Reception took place last week, hosted by KPMG at their offices in London. It was a wonderful evening of connection, recognition, and inspiration, bringing together shortlisted nominees, sponsors, alumni, and friends of WIBF to celebrate the outstanding individuals and organisations shaping the future of financial services.
Opening Remarks from Anna Lane, WIBF President
Anna highlighted the incredible response to this year’s awards, with 105 individual entries and 12 organisational entries, resulting in a shortlist of 67 exceptional individuals and firms.
She also spoke about the exciting evolution of the awards:
A new category – the Inclusive Recruitment Award, recognising innovative recruitment initiatives that build diversity and inclusion across the industry.
Self-nomination across all categories, ensuring women at every career stage can put themselves forward and be celebrated for their achievements.
“Recognition doesn’t just celebrate excellence—it boosts confidence, motivates teams, and opens doors,” Anna said. “Even being nominated can be transformative, giving people the courage to take the next step in their careers.”
She closed by encouraging nominees to share their stories with WIBF News and reminded members that nominations remain open for the Student of the Year and University Society of the Year awards.
Reflections from WIBF Alumni
WIBF Awards Alumni team member Helen Poon spoke about the importance of celebrating not only the creativity and leadership of this year’s nominees, but also the journey ahead.
“Being shortlisted is only the beginning,” she said, highlighting the mentorship opportunities, volunteer roles, and communities available to alumni. Helen encouraged the new shortlist to pass on the confidence and knowledge they gain at WIBF, underlining that “we need that support now more than ever.”
Words from Our Hosts
Karim Haji, Global Head of Financial Services at KPMG International, spoke about the importance of recognition and storytelling in driving change. “Everyone here is a role model,” he said, stressing that the awards are not just about winning but about sharing stories that inspire others. Stories, he noted, “make gender irrelevant” and motivate both men and women to do better. Karim also expressed his pride that KPMG’s business unit leaders in the UK are all women, highlighting the progress being made while recognising there is still more to do to achieve equality in leadership.
Looking Ahead
This year marks another milestone for the WIBF Awards, with celebrations taking place in four different locations for the first time. Together, the community has already raised over £5,000 for charity through donations, raffles, and auctions—another example of the collective impact WIBF continues to drive.
As Anna reminded the room, whether or not nominees take home an award next month, they are already role models: “By stepping forward, by being recognised, you are shaping the future of our industry.”
The evening closed with thanks to the WIBF Awards team, led by Karen Bennett, our dedicated volunteers, judges, award sponsors, corporate partners, and of course the amazing shortlist. Special thanks to KPMG and their team for hosting and the KPMG putting together a terrific event.
We now look forward to the main celebrations at the WIBF Awards Ceremony on 13 November, where the winners will be revealed and the achievements of this exceptional community celebrated in full. You can book your place for one of our four celebrations here.
You can view our photographs from this event here.
