Welcome from the Host, Nissy Tee and Girls Talk London Founder CEO, Vanessa Sanyauke.

Hogan Lovells, Atlantic House, Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2FG.

Join us as our Host Nissy Tee sits down for an intimate chat with Brigid Charmant who is the Senior Vice President of Sales at Salesforce UK.

Brigid has more than 20 years of experience in the IT sales industry and leads Salesforce’s Emerging, Small and Medium Business unit in the UK. Her large team partners with startup, scale-up and growth businesses across the UK to drive digital transformation. Brigid is a huge supporter of UK small and medium enterprises and is passionate about helping them adapt to a fast-paced, continually changing business landscape to not only survive but thrive. 

She has a track record of success in building and developing high-performing teams across various markets, business units and regions in EMEA. Brigid focuses on bringing out the best in her team through personal development, continuous learning and coaching. She’s also a passionate supporter of Diversity, Equality & Inclusion initiatives. 

When not negotiating deals and closing out the quarter, Brigid can be found on the hockey pitch or tennis court.

Our panel are:

• Annabel Ashalley-Anthony is an award-winning writer, a Women in Games Ambassador and the founder of the award-winning gaming community: Melanin Gamers, a gaming community that promotes inclusion and diversity in the video games industry. Melanin Gamers were the recipients of Barnet's Big Idea Entrepreneurial prize 2020. Alongside her passion for writing and gaming; she is also an avid fundraiser and regularly works with the Bloodfund an Imperial Health Charity to raise awareness and funds for Sickle-Cell Anaemia. Featured in Forbes, BBC Xtra Radio, Newsround. The Voice. Gamesindustry.biz. Middlesex University Press. teneightymagazine.com. Public speaker and advocate for diversity and Inclusion.

• Stephanie Itimi is a PhD research student in Information Security, based within the CDT in Cyber Security at Royal Holloway, University of London. She is also the founder of Seidea, a career development platform with a mission to support 100,000 Black and Minority Ethnic women in their entry into the cybersecurity sector by 2040. Stephanie has played a significant role in the development and manufacturing of high-profile initiatives in Slovakia, Morocco, the United Kingdom and several West and East African nations through her diverse consultative experience with Culture Fez, BBC, Balloon Ventures, UN Women and the European Commission, promoting freedom of data, digital literacy, financial empowerment and gender equality. Stephanie is a passionate advocate for climate change, especially in the arts and technology communities. She sits on advisory board of KlimatelinK, the first global web3 digital professional Peer 2 Peer climate community and is a certified NFT expert with Blockchain Council. 

• Aaron Elahi is a product manager -trading systems and trading strategies. Aaron started his finance career in Lombard St, London. Over the last two decades, he has worked on investment bank technology and trading solutions, which managed and traded billions of dollars—an expert in DeFi (decentralised finance), Blockchain technology, FinTech and Digital assets. Aaron began his journey into Bitcoin in 2016. He founded the Global Crypto Insights DAO in 2022 through meeting like-minded world-class professionals at Oxford University. He now works with wealth managers, family offices and HNWI (High Net Worth Individuals) as a Bitcoin, Crypto and digital asset expert. Aaron mentored Forbes Magazine’s 30 under 30 European Finance 2018 winner He now teaches, informs and educates others GLOBALLY about the potential of Blockchain technology and digital assets, and how to invest and trade in them.

• Lavinia D. Osbourne is an established agent for change in blockchain, and an entrepreneur at the vanguard of NFT development and futurist for the emergent metaverse. Through her work as Founder of WiBT she has won and been nominated for accolades such as the National Diversity Award for Community Organisation and Best Diversity Resource/Initiative Award; whilst as an individual she is one of Wirex's Rising Women in Crypto 2021, a TechWomen100 winner 2020, a 2021 LinkedIn Top Voice in Tech & Innovation, and Cog X Gender Leadership Winner 2022. Combining her passionate belief in blockchain’s egalitarian ideals with a commitment to utilising her knowledge, connections and entrepreneurial spirit to bring opportunity for all, Lavinia works tirelessly to break down barriers by raising underrepresented voices.

This panel will share strategies and thought leadership on what tech companies can actively do to increase the representation of Black women which is currently at 0.7% in the UK and 3% in the US.

Our panel are:

• Annika Allen, Annika is Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at global production powerhouse All3Media Group. In this role Annika is responsible for delivering the Group’s DE&I strategy working with its production companies, HR and talent teams and building external stakeholder relationships. Prior to this she worked in Global Diversity & Inclusion at Barclays where she wrote and project managed Barclays inaugural Diversity & Inclusion Annual Report, led on the creation of the Power of Allies Toolkit, which is a popular internal resource to help colleagues take conscious, positive steps to make everyone feel that they belong. She also recognised that conversations around various topics on diversity, equity and inclusion are difficult, but having difficult conversations is vital to the success of all workplaces so she designed Courageous Conversations – a global monthly thematic webcast and podcast series, produced to share meaningful dialogue and to empower and encourage colleagues to listen to and learn from each other, and to speak up and challenge in thoughtful, constructive ways. She also drove forward the creation of a new D&I Hub and was involved in the Race at Work taskforce creating the internal site to engage colleagues on Barclay’s Race at Work action plan.
• Prior to working at Barclays, Annika’s communications background led her to a career that spanned journalism, content and TV production. She worked on entertainment and reality formats, on shows that appeared on the BBC, Channel 4 to MTV. Annika is an award-winning speaker, broadcaster and podcast host and is passionate about championing diversity, empowering women and sharing and amplifying stories from underrepresented voices, breaking down barriers and helping others to fulfil their potential. If that isn’t enough, she also co-founded The Black Magic Awards – an annual awards ceremony that celebrates, honours the changemakers and the trailblazers in the Black community and provides a platform for stories of triumph and shinning a light on Black role models. This event creates a space for people to see what’s possible and inspires the next generation of talent. She also sits on the advisory board for UK Black Business Week and the Birmingham Black Business Show and is host of an award winning podcast. 

• Charlene Brown is a lawyer, entrepreneur and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) specialist. Charlene founded Howlett Brown, the UK’s only people-intelligence company which exists to help organisations build an environment where their integrity, inclusion and purpose thrive and their people risk is low. Charlene has over a decade of legal, culture and inclusion experience, providing strategic employment law advice on a range of employment matters. Charlene’s approach to helping clients improve their culture is a significant part of her work at Howlett Brown. Charlene and Howlett Brown are often commissioned to undertake independent investigations into a wide range of issues including and related to sexual harassment, microaggressions, discrimination, race, disability, gender and trans rights.  
• As a DEI specialist, Charlene delivers training to people of all levels across organisations on matters pertaining to race and ethnicity, intersectionality, and other protected characteristics in the workplace. Charlene brings her DEI work beyond Howlett Brown with her role as Chair of the Ivors Academy Ethics Committee and as a member of the advisory board for TNON. For the past two consecutive years, Charlene was named in the top 20 Diversity Professionals in Industry, in the Global Diversity List which celebrates excellence in DEI.

• Hannah Awonuga, is a Global Director leading the DEI Colleague Engagement strategy as Head of DEI Colleague Engagement at Barclays Bank. In her role, she is responsible for global strategic oversight of DEI campaigns, communications, the global employee resource group strategy and responsible for the banks global socioeconomic agenda. Hannah a strong leadership background with over 10years leadership experiences managing remote and diverse teams across the organisation.
• She has been working for Barclays since she was 17yrs old and for the past 17yrs has spent time in the Retail bank, business and corporate bank before transitioning into Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in 2019. Hannah has been named an inspirational D&I leader by esteemed professional body D&I leader’s inspirational leaders 2021 list and received an We are the city 2021 rising star award in the banking and capital category. 
• Hannah is an award winning DEI speaker who actively uses her voice to speak on DEI issues around Gender, race and ethnicity, social mobility and generations in the workplace. She has recently been appointed as a Non- executive director for the UK government membership body Progress Together which has been set up to increase socioeconomic diversity at senior leadership level across the UK financial services. She is also a foundation school governor at a Catholic secondary college in south London.

• Abena Poku is the Head of Marketing and Business Development for MEA at Hogan Lovells.

Technology continues to reshape the way we live and work. Businesses that realise the benefits of technology will be at the core of the UK’s recovery from the impact of COVID-19 and the current economic turmoil.

However, increased regulation is a fact of life for technology companies and whether it’s scrutiny from regulators and law enforcement or deep dives by potential investors, tech companies are increasingly realising that good legal advice and getting things right in the early stages is a vital part of their growth journey.

Nowhere is this more obvious than the field of financial technology where start-ups must navigate an ever-shifting web of law and regulation and need multi-disciplinary and commercially focused legal advisors who understand their vision.

 At Hogan Lovells we’ve changed how we work to make sure we can provide the support these companies need, as and when they need it. From utilising technology to reduce the time (and money!) we spend on their work, to offering companies free advice and mentoring through our FinTech Mentor Program, we’re making sure that we stay at the forefront of the legal technology sector.

We’d love to explain more about how we do this and share with you some of the lessons we’ve learned from founders and those working in tech companies along the way.

Emily Reid, Partner, Head of FinTech, Hogan Lovells

Emily leads our FinTech practice. She has a wealth of experience in the law and regulation that applies to firms in the retail banking, payments, consumer finance and merchant acquiring industries, advising clients from FinTech start-ups to major financial institutions. Emily’s reputation for delivering innovative solutions has helped her achieve acclaim from various legal directories and industry bodies, including achieving a Band 1 ranking in Chambers & Partners’ FinTech category, a ‘Hall of Fame’ listing for the corresponding Legal 500 category, and recognition as a Senior Leader in the Innovate Finance ‘Women in FinTech Powerlist 2021.’

Jennifer Staniforth, Senior Associate, Hogan Lovells

Jennifer advises major financial institutions, payment providers and other lenders on regulatory, commercial, and transactional issues. Jennifer has spent time in-house on secondment at a major UK bank and understands the challenges clients face in the regulated financial services sector. Jennifer is able to assist on all sector-specific regulation including the Consumer Credit Act, the Payment Services Regulation, BCOBS, CONC, and MCOB, as well as the impact of unfair terms, consumer rights, and AML on the financial services sector. Jennifer also co-leads the firm’s FinTech Mentor Program – a global program that provides legal services, insight and mentoring to FinTechs.

Nikki Ogun, Associate, Hogan Lovells

Nikki provides business-oriented regulatory advice to a range of businesses across the payments, banking and lending industries. She advises clients on sector-specific regulation and guides clients in the financial services sector on the impact of unfair terms, consumer rights and AML on their businesses. Nikki has in-house experience from her secondment in the consumer finance team of a large retail bank, and also has experience of data protection and financial services disputes. Nikki is passionate about diversity at Hogan Lovells, and in the legal profession more broadly. She is a member of the steering committee of the Hogan Lovells Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) network, and often volunteers to speak at legal careers events held across the city, particularly those with a diversity focus.

Charlie Middleton, Associate, Hogan Lovells

Charlie is a financial institutions lawyer advising clients across the retail banking and payments industry, from large and established financial institutions to small FinTech start-ups. Charlie advises on regulatory, commercial, and transactional issues. He is able to draw upon the industry experience he gained on secondment in the UK consumer team of a major bank to provide practical and commercial advice. Charlie also co-leads the firm’s FinTech Mentor Program – a global program that provides legal services, insight and mentoring to FinTechs.

This breakout session will be centred on raising awareness of Black women's health from periods, menopause, womb health and all around wellbeing. Including exploring the ways of empowering Black women to advocate for themselves and what can organisations do to support.

Our panelists include:

• Eleanor Mills, Founder & Editor in Chief, Noon - leanor Mills is a journalist, diversity campaigner and entrepreneur. She is the Founder of noon.org.uk a new platform for Queenagers dedicated to challenging gendered ageism and changing the cultural narrative about the later stages of women’s lives to one which is more positive and fit for purpose. She was Chair of Women in Journalism UK from 2014-2021, and for 23 years she was a top editor at the Sunday Times and was the paper’s main interviewer, a columnist, Editorial Director and award-winning editor of the Sunday Times Magazine. She appears regularly on TV and radio and her publications include Cupcakes and Kalashnikovs: 100 Years of the Best Journalism by women published by Hachette.

• Anvi Gupta is a British-Indian period activist currently studying Computer Science, Religious Studies and Mathematics A Level and is a Youth Ambassador for Period Power. She started a period poverty campaign at Northwood College in September 2020 and since then has been working to raise awareness and breaking taboos surrounding period poverty and menstrual health. She has launched ‘Period Boxes’ in school so that students and staff have access to free period products when required, founded a period poverty committee for students to join and started an annual PCOS Awareness Week. With her classmates, they raised money for Bloody Good Period. For Menstrual Health Day she co-hosted a talk for students on periods, perimenopause, menopause, endometriosis, PCOS, the different types of reusable period products and had a period product drive to donate period products to Hillingdon Foodbank. 
• Thelma Mensah, Women's Health Coach, and Founder of After9 Lifestyle. After9 Lifestyle is a modern women’s health, beauty and lifestyle brand that predominately serves the 40+ women with an ageless mindset. I am big on inclusion, positive ageing and visual representation of women have often felt ignored, misunderstood, or simply not been represented in the women’s health and wellness world. We aim to right that wrong by listening, supporting, and informing you about issues that matter to you along with a healthy dose of fun and enjoyment thrown in. I wanted to create a platform that supported women of all races with issues from pre and postnatal concerns through to menopause. We also host amazing, immersive, premium lifestyle experiences that normalise luxury and emphasise the message that radical self-care is Health Care! I don’t see ageing as a negative I see it as a plus making us extra wise, seasoned, and spicy - let’s face it nobody wants to be bland and boring. I can’t wait to build a community with you all and show the world that ageing never looked this good before.
• Latoya Busumbru, is the Founder of Wombbae Health and wellness expert. Inspired to sharing awareness with womb related issues, after her own experience of suffering with Fibroids for at least 5 years.

This breakout session will be led by 20+ colleagues from BT who will be delivering a workshop to upskill you on nailing the recruitment process and making yourself stand out from the crowd

Join our host Nissy Tee as she sits down for a Q&A chat with Kelechi Okafor!

Kelechi Okafor is a Nigerian born Londoner who acts, directs, writes, hosts an award winning podcast known officially as ‘Say Your Mind’ and she runs her own pole dance studio in Peckham, South London. 

Although Kelechi wears many hats; the head those hats are stylishly perched upon, is one filled with incisive observations about society, culture and specifically Black womanhood - shared through many avenues one of which happens to be the online sensation - Sally in HR

Welcome from Host, Nia Tyrell and Girls Talk London Founder CEO, Vanessa Sanyauke.

Patricia Cobian is CFO of Virgin Media O2, a nationwide integrated communications provider created as a joint venture between Liberty Global and Telefonica through the combination of Telefonica UK (O2) and Virgin Media Prior to this, Patricia was CFO for Telefónica UK Limited since 2016, having previously been the Strategy & Transformation Director since September 2014.

Before joining Telefonica UK, Patricia was Director for Business Development at Telefonica Europe. She joined the Telefonica Group in 2006 as VP Strategy & Development for Telefonica Europe. Patricia is an engineer by training and started her career with HP, then Mckinsey & Co. She was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2014. Patricia is passionate about the work of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement and supports the British Red Cross as Co-chair of the Tiffany Circle – an international, women-led, giving circle.

Originally from Spain, Patricia lives in London and is married and mother of three young children.

Ignite Your Power with this panel which will share experiences and perspectives on how to develop critical curiosity, gain commercial awareness and the art of asking thought-provoking questions.

Our panel includes:

• Jelilat Oyetunji, Transformation Business Improvement Specialist at BT - Jelilat Oyetunji fell in love with technology at 13 during a school visit to a local university. She started her career as a software developer in US and has worked in technology roles within health care, housing, e-commerce, petroleum, higher education, and telecom industries. She finds the intersection of business and technology fascinating and her degrees in Computer Science and Business Administration come in handy. As a black, female, Muslim woman, who wears a headscarf and works in technology, she knows what it’s like to be a minority and mentor’s girls and women interested in STEM. She’ s worked in BT for almost 4 years and her current role as a Transformation Business Improvement Specialist includes using continuous improvement methodologies and techniques to deliver business process improvements and transformation initiatives.
• Millie Ruffin, Senior Compliance Manager at Zalando.
• Sharon Adelaide Asomani-Wiafe, Software Engineer at Goldman Sachs.
• Yabs Macauley made her first foray in the world of digital media over 15 years ago at the internet powerhouse AOL which then went on to become AOL Time Warner. From thereon she has gone on to hold a number of revenue-driving positions at various innovative enterprises such as Bebo, Shazam, and Disney. In her current role at Snap, Yabs is responsible for strategic market development and driving revenue objectives across Central and Eastern Europe.

More to be announced

Join Lisanne for her ignite your power keynote and learn more about how she's cultivated connections and embracing what she loves to thrive throughout her career!

Lisanne Dorn Bota, Director of Partner Sales at Zalando. She is of Ivorian/German descent. She was born and raised in the South of Germany and studied at the University of Santa Barbara, California and Potsdam University in Germany, where she earned her Master’s degree in Political Science and African American Literature. After almost ten years with IMG Fashion, Lisanne joined Zalando in 2018 and leads the platform sales functions as acting Director of Partner Sales. In addition, she is a core member of Zalando’s BEC (Black Employee Connection).

Toni Tone is a Content Creator, Speaker, and Author. Her debut book, ‘I Wish I Knew This Earlier - Lessons on Love’ became an instant Sunday Times bestseller, debuting at number three on The Sunday Times bestsellers list. Toni’s second book, ‘Take Note - Real Life Lessons’ will be released November 2022. Beyond her books, she is well known for her inspiring and thought-provoking writing on Twitter, which has been featured in a range of publications and shared by the likes of Hailey Bieber, Demi Lovato, Khloe Kardashian, Oprah Magazine, and many more.

In 2021 Toni featured alongside her family in Channel 4’s ‘Highlife’ - a docu-ality series following the lives of a group of young, ambitious, British West Africans. In the same year she presented her very own podcast ‘Money Moves’ - a tool kit to give young listeners confidence in managing their relationship with money, in collaboration with BBC Sounds.

In 2019 Toni was announced as the first ever ambassador for the charity Young Women’s Trust - a feminist organisation working to achieve economic justice for young women across the UK. She also speaks at a range of events and has worked in collaboration with organisations such as JP Morgan, Paramount UK, Samsung KX, Warner Music, HBO, Bumble, and many more.

Join Oona King for her ignite your power keynote!

Oona King is VP of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Snap Inc, and was previously Google’s Director of Diversity Strategy, YouTube's Director of Diverse Marketing, and Chief Diversity Officer for British Broadcaster Channel 4. Oona received a life-time appointment to the UK House of Lords in 2011 as Baroness King of Bow. Oona has taken a leave of absence from the Lords to work in the tech industry; her last UK legislation, passed in 2016, requires all UK companies with over 250 employees to publish their gender pay gap. Oona's law has had far-reaching consequences in the UK, Silicon Valley, and beyond. 

Oona was Senior Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street, and before that became a member of the House of Commons at 29 - the second woman of color, and 200th woman of any color elected to the British Parliament. Oona became Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister for e-Commerce, and Secretary of State for Trade & Industry. Oona was voted by other MPs “the MP most likely to change society.” In the Lords, Oona's Front Bench roles included Shadow Education Minister, Shadow Minister for the Digital Economy, and Shadow Minister for Equalities. 

Oona founded the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Genocide Prevention in the House of Commons, and received a commendation from the UN Security Council's Expert Panel for her group's work on peacekeeping in Eastern DRC (Congo). During her time as a Parliamentarian, Oona changed the law on over 15 occasions, including in areas of housing, employment, children's rights, foreign affairs and equalities policy. 

At Channel 4, Oona designed and implemented a new industry-wide diversity monitoring tool on behalf of all UK broadcasters. Oona’s idea has made British broadcasting the first in the world to have an industry diversity standard, with the software to track onscreen and offscreen diversity. Oona previously worked as a TV presenter for BBC, Channel 4, Sky, Five and ITV. Oona’s political diary of her time in the House of Commons was named among “15 of the best political diaries”, by the Guardian Newspaper, alongside Disraeli & Thatcher. 

Oona and her Italian husband Tiberio live in L.A. with their four young children, three of whom are adopted. Oona’s hobbies include cycling, ice-skating, and listening to Artificial Intelligence podcasts in the middle of the night. In case Oona’s career goes very wrong, she is also a qualified aerobics

The Audacity To Have It All: This panel of amazing women will share their experiences, perspectives and tips for reconnecting with your career and thriving after having children. We will identify the challenges, the solutions and generally celebrate each other’s choices to start a family while working in a fast-paced industry!

Our panel includes:

• Sandra Igwe, CEO of The Motherhood Group - Sandra Igwe is a Black maternal health advocate, TedX speaker, and is the Founder of The Motherhood Group, a social enterprise that supports the Black maternal experience by delivering community-based events, training workshops, peer-to-peer support, national campaigns (Black Maternal Mental Health Week UK), and culturally sensitive programmes for Black mothers. Sandra is also a Trustee for Birthrights Charity, the leading charity on human rights in pregnancy and childbirth in the UK and the co-chair of their National Inquiry into Racial Injustice in Maternity Care. Sandra is the author of My Black Motherhood: Mental Health, Stigma, Racism and the System. In this book, she uses her voice, and many other Black mothers experiences to demand that Black women are listened to, believed, and understood by healthcare professionals. Sandra is a leading voice and bridges the gap between the community of Black mothers and service providers, policy-makers and organisations; a key-note speaker for Trades Union Congress (TUC) Conference, Dove, Mbbrace-UK, and other notable organisations.

• Zuleika Philips is an award winning revenue growth leader with 20 years experience leading strategic partnerships for some of the worlds largest blue chip organisations. Zuleika is not only a leader and the only female from a diverse background in her field at Zoom, but also the Founder of several businesses including an award winning Events company that covers Greater London with a full time team managing it on her behalf. A single mother, with two young boys at a local prep school, Zuleika is a keen advocate of learning how to walk with confidence after returning to work from maternity leave and embracing cultural identity in parallel with shifting priorities.

• Atinuke Awe, mother of two aged 4 and 2, runs a social platform “Mums & Tea” aimed at connecting Black mums together and it was here that she heard a lot of Black Women’s birthing experiences that echoed her own. She co-founded the Five X More campaign with her colleague Clo who runs social enterprise "Prosperitys" with the hopes of highlighting the disparities within maternal health and to make tangible changes. In 2020 Five x More launched the petition “Improve Maternal Mortality Rates and Health Care for Black Women in the U.K.” which gained over 187,000 signatures. Their petition led to Black maternal health being discussed in parliament for the first time in its history and changing the landscape of the discussion in the media and beyond. They recently launched the Black maternity experience report, collecting the experiences of over 1300 Black women making it the biggest survey of its kind to date in the UK.

• Chantelle Clarke joins as one-quarter of the Black Women Working Podcast. Black Women Working is a movement which seeks to centre black women’s stories and experiences in the overall discussions about diversity and equality at work in the UK. The podcast provides a safe space for black women to speak openly about their experiences of working life in the UK and also to provides support, advice and aspiration to other black women. The aim is to encourage black women to share their success stories and how they have overcome their obstacles as well as discuss institutional racism and other structural issues in their organisations. After twelve years as a secondary school leader, Chantelle has recently transitioned from a school setting and is now Head of Content for the Financial Times' first charitable arm FLIC - Financial Literacy Inclusion Campaign and Curriculum Lead for Young Futures charity which supports carer leavers.  Whilst teaching, Chantelle pursued various passion projects. In 2018, sponsored by The London Mayor’s Cultural Seeds Award, Chantelle launched Echoes of Love an event centred around black women coming together to share their experiences in love, which will culminate as a collection of short stories titled ‘Tales of a London Lass’. Chantelle a mum of two boys, foster carer and educator and is a fierce advocate for self-fulfilment and work-life balance.

This is the time for more intimate discussion and insights, as we split the group into two!

You will get to spend 45 mins with each session with our sponsors!

Rotational Session: Meet the Recruiter - Finding Your Fit & Unlocking Your Next Opportunity with Zalando.

Rotational Session: Be Yourself Everyday - Fuel Creative excellence and Innovation with Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Leads from Snap Inc

Join us as we wind down from the first virtual day of BGTS with a live Hip Hop Yoga class! Bring your mat, towel, water bottle and change into something comfy for an hour of reconnection, chilled vibes and good times!

Sanchia unapologetically shows up in the world as a; runner, yoga teacher, energy giver, public speaker and space holder. Known for her popular underground Yogahood & Gyal Flex classes. She brings her big smile, powerful playlists and good vibes to the mat in the hope of bringing yoga to the people and opening up the wellness scene - With a killer playlist to help you find freedom, space and your inner badass!

Welcome from the Host, Nia Tyrell and Girls Talk London Founder CEO, Vanessa Sanyauke.

Join Tsitsi Masiyiwa for an ignite your power keynote!

Tsitsi Masiyiwa is an African philanthropist and social entrepreneur. She is the

Executive Chair and Co-Founder of Delta Philanthropies and Higherlife Foundation,

whose primary goal is to invest in human capital development to build thriving

individuals, communities, and sustainable livelihoods. As a result of her work and

experience establishing and growing Higherlife Foundation over the last twenty-five

years, she is an advisor and thought partner to universities, national leaders, and

social entrepreneurs. Tsitsi also serves on the boards of various international NGOs

working in education, global health, gender and youth empowerment.

Allyship within the Black community is integral to the success of Black women succeeding within the technology ecosystem. We hear from men within the Black community on how they support Black women in the workplace and what more can be done to ensure we are able to thrive in our careers through community and championship.

Our panel includes:

• Adrian Joseph OBE, Chief Data and AI Officer, BT Group
• Adetunji Akintunde Akinde, Senior Software Engineer at Zalando SE
• Sterling Summerville, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Program Manager II at Snap Inc
• Andrew Abbeyquaye, Associate Software Engineer at Gildmans Sachs

Join Bridget Lea for an ignite your power keynote!

Bridget Lea is Managing Director of Commercial for BT plc working across BT, EE, and Plusnet consumer brands. Bridget has 25 years of retail and telecoms experience across a number of high-profile organisations including Sainsbury’s and O2. She has a passion for creating high performing teams, nurturing talent and delivering transformational change, with a relentless focus on the customer.

Bridget actively promotes diversity in all its forms, is a Non-executive Director for Marston’s PLC and also sits on the Board of Governors at Manchester University.

Our panel includes:

• Leyla Kahara is a founder of KPesa, a social impact lending crowdfunding platform for female entrepreneurs. She is a Techstars Community All-Star ‘22, has been the lead organiser for Techstars Startup Weekend Women Dublin and Techstars Startup Week Dar. Leyla has previously founded YourY Network, a global community of social entrepreneurs and changemakers. She is a DCU graduate in Accounting and Finance, with experience working for different non profit organisations in Dublin, Ireland. She also studied MA in International Relations and as a natural born activist, one of Leyla’s pastimes is to promote International Trade Justice.
• Flora Boa & Michelle Obuobi , Founders of Kasaie, an e-commerce and information hub which uses Ai technology to facilitate the product selection process and the understanding of curly, coily and kinky haircare.
• Roxanne Campbell, CEO of Revarnish, Roxanne Campbell is an entrepreneur and a multi-award-winning nail expert who has worked with high-profile celebrities including Adele, Alicia Keys, Idris Elba, Swizz Beatz, Eve, Dua Lipa, Jourdan Dunn, and Winnie Harlow. She has also worked closely with prestigious fashion designers in London, New York, and Paris and on major editorial spreads with Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, and Tatler, to name a few. She has her own nail lacquers and she is the founder of a luxury mobile nail company named Revarnish London.

• Sabina Khaytbaeva is a Venture capitalist and startup advisor

How To Show Up As Your Authentic Self - a session led by Human Design Expert: Aycee Brown

Aycee Brown is a Psychic Channel, Oracle & Voice of Truth. Through spiritual guidance, she offers tools that inspire and motivate others to look at all parts of themselves to develop the awareness to heal and show up in their lives fully. 

Aycee knows you were made for more than what you’ve been shown. Her unique wisdom and insight will allow you to step into the magical mutha fu**ker you’ve always been.

This is now the time for more intimate discussions where you will be split into two groups and will rotate for 45 mins between both sessions!

Rotational Session: Meet the Recruiter - Getting through the door, nailing the application with BT.

Rotational Session: You are the brand - learning how to market yourself and make your mark with Fab Giovanetti from Alt Marketing School.

Relax, Rejuvenate and Replenish in sound - a special virtual soundbath led by Jazreena Harlow.

Jazreena Harlow is a multi-passionate creative, life coach, crystal sonic therapy practitioner & human design reader. Using a diverse mix of modalities she is fiercely committed to helping people have a deeper connection to their inner wisdom and soul's essence, guiding them to lead in their full expression and vibrant truth.