The Women in Governance, Risk & Compliance (WGRC) Awards 2026 is proud to announce the full shortlist across all categories, recognising the outstanding individuals and organisations shaping the future of governance, risk, and compliance worldwide.
As part of the globally recognised #RISK Series, the WGRC Awards celebrate excellence, innovation, and leadership across the GRC profession, while championing greater visibility, representation, and progress for women in the industry.
This year’s entries have been nothing short of exceptional, showcasing remarkable achievements across a diverse range of disciplines. From risk and compliance to AI, sustainability, and leadership the 2026 shortlist highlights both emerging talent and established leaders who are driving meaningful impact across organisations and sectors.
GRC Rising Star of the Year: SME
Blessing Adetunji, Crown Agents Bank
Cara Bisland-Cook, 4i Water Services Ltd
Heather Bishop-Miller, CloudBees
Rochelle Burgess, Barretts Law
Tiana Cung, Grath
Sandhya Kawar, Cambridge Building Society
Abby Rumley, Genistar Limited
Tasha Taylor, Family Fund Trust / Family Fund Business Services
Ariana Vass, CoreStream GRC
GRC Rising Star of the Year: Large Company
Aleksandra Anastasova, Mastercard (ex State Street)
Tamsin Davies, ManpowerGroup
Alejandra Gonzalez Chamorro, Glencore
Namrata Haribal, Bumble
Emilia Lock, Admiral
Bethany Moore, BDO UK
Fatima Rafique, AXA Insurance - Commercial
Priyanka Ranu, Comcast
Alberta Zanata, Markel Insurance SE
GRC International Rising Star
Seto Adenuga, Kainos
Skye Caprice Hinds, Swift
Alexandra Mercz, Cushman & Wakefield
Vibha Mohan, Smallpdf AG
Kimberley O’Donnell, Cummins
Khushbu Shah, UPS Express (India) Private Limited (United Parcel Services)
Jeia Tirante, ING Hubs Philippines / University of the Philippines
Sanna Wong-Toropainen, University of Helsinki
GRC Innovator of the Year
Amelia Hewitt, Principle Defence
Kirsteen Joanne Bell, Skyscanner Limited
Selogadi Mojapelo, PPS Healthcare Administrators
Princess Okoro, Trainline
Laura Oliver, Admiral
Ashley O’Reilly, Corlytics
Esme Pau, CertiK
Aleksandra Szylkiewicz, Salesforce
GRC Ambassador of the Year
Rania Bejjani, RB Advisory & Consulting
Priscilla Gaudoin, Ruleguard
Shreeya Goel, Genpact Risk Consulting LLP
Theresa Grafenstine, Pentagon Federal Credit Union
Tanya Heath, Entain
Toni McLelland, 1st Life Group | Business Consultancy
Claire Penketh, BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT
Farah Sheikh, Ki
Mairead Smith, Impax
Anugya Sudan, MetricStream
GRC Role Model of the Year
Susanne Bitter, Cyber Security Forum Initiative
Cha'Von Clarke-Joell, CKC Cares Group
Libby Denchfield, Standard Chartered Bank
Ann Ellis, BDO UK
Yvonne Gordon, Leidos Europe Ltd
Kate McKay, University of Chester
Sharon Sharples, Barclays
Izabella Stueflotten, VP of Revenue | VP Digital Strategist
Shanita Sojan, Darktrace
Hayley Youngs, ManpowerGroup
GRC Educator of the Year
Priyanka Chatterjee, London School of Cybersecurity
Basha Galvin, Association of Corporate Investigators
Michele L. Turner, Marriott International
Tereza Scott, KPMG Business Institute
Dr Ruchita Sujai Chowdhary, KMCLU
Adaora Uche, THG Ingenuity
Male Advocate
Tom Banks, AXA Commercial
Jeff Berkson, WebBank
Mike Chandler, Pension App
Denis Jackson, Law Debenture
Gowri Shankar Sukumar, Civil Aviation Authority
Stevie, Vantify
Sustainability Champion in GRC
Kirsty Colley, CDS and CDS Print Services
Azzah Fawzi, PwC
Lauren Phipps, Honda Motor Europe
Madhumitha Ravikumar, SFC Energy AG
Sophie Taluy, Capgemini Invent
Vicky Withey, Bell Integration
Legal Champion of the Year
Camilla Beevor, Historic Royal Palaces
Sarah Hall, West Northamptonshire Council
Selina Herlihy, SYNLAB UK
Ruth Mittelmann Cohen, VinciWorks
Julia Nsaleni Tembe, Vodacom
Kate Preston, Birdie
Jasmine Stuart, Complex Law Ltd
Louise Waldek, IMI plc
Chloe Williams, First Central Group
Sujata Varsha Pullut, VP Business Solutions Ltd
Governance Champion of the Year
Carol Akiwumi, The AVOCADO Foundation
Puja Chopra, Oxford Biomedica PLC
Bella Ikpasaja, Intentional Neighbourhood Consultancy LDN
Alexandra Khammud, TikTok
Nobee Moyo, Legal & General
Boglarka Radi, ERGO TIS
Radhika Thiagarajan, NHS Confederation
AI Leader of the Year
Teresa Hogan, LSEG
Carmen Marsh, Global Council for Responsible AI / United CyberSecurity Alliance
Ana Newman, Arm
Leo-Nor le Roux, NTT DATA
Catherine Sykes, Hull College
Technology Leader of the Year
Nikki Absolom, Pets at Home
Elena Cremin, Audley Group
Onur Korucu, DataRep
Alka Kumar, CoreStream
Leo-Nor le Roux, NTT DATA
Julia Stamm, She Shapes AI
Diversity & Inclusion Champion of the Year
Sarah Denney-Jones, Everywhen
Tracey Gernon, Navro
Rebecca McLean, AXA
Renee Sinamtwa, Law Debenture
Pauline Vuyelwa Muswere-Enagbonma, Jessamy Platinum Holdings
Information Security Leader of the Year
Lurong Chen, Nemean Services
Kirsty Fowler, WorkNest Secure
Sarah Jones, Baywater Healthcare
Stephanie Liew, BAT
Saba Rubaei, Citi
Ruhi Shah, Capgemini Invent
Kirti Verma, Hitachi Energy
CEO of the Year
Anwen Aspden, Stable Resources Limited
Beatriz Shorrock, Vantify
Kirsten Liston, Rethink Compliance LLC
Gaby Price, Women's Aid in Luton
Andreina Viera Silva, Boss Lady
Compliance Leader of the Year
Magda Asteri, International Health Partners UK
Alyson Cooling, Hemsley Fraser International Ltd
Toni Haynes, PensionApp
Elakkeya Jegasothy, Trade Remedies Authority
Tayo Oyinlola, The Weir Group
Samantha Padayachee, Vodacom Limited
Tania Palmariellodiviney, Data Privacy Simplified
Tiffany Roberts, Titan Wealth
Noor Singh, Capgemini Invent
Karima Sioud, Women in Compliance - Luxembourg
Luciana Vieira, Leonardo UK
Natalie Mcmanus-Barnett, Innovate Compliance
Risk Leader of the Year
Sarah Finnegan, Vanguard
Colleen Harrisson-Dodds, International Health Partners UK
Shabana Imran, Standard Chartered Bank
Neha Malhotra, JP Morgan Chase
Shonagh Methven, United Response
Josie Pryor-Jones, iPSL
Lalitha Satheesh, Accenture
Lucy Strike, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Candace Steele, Canopius
Lesley Thacker, Brightwell Pensions
Privacy Leader of the Year
Sam Berry, NHS Property Services
Tina Forrester, Liverpool John Moores University
Telma Guerreiro Candeias, Howden
Ana Paula Borges, SITA
Priya Raja, BOKU
Loreto Reguera, Bridgestone
Sophie Vile, States of Guernsey
Andrea Ward, Charles Russell Speechlys LLP
Diversity & Inclusion Team of the Year
Barclays – Elevate Program Team
Diligent
Leeds City Council
NAVRO
Cybersecurity Team of the Year
Capgemini Invent
Hogan Lovells
Liverpool John Moores University
Thoughtworks, Inc.
GRC Employer of the Year
Digital Encode Limited
Family Fund Trust / Family Fund Business Services
Liverpool John Moores University
Vantify
Women in BFSI Risk & Resilience Award
Nadine Blackford, Santander UK / Cater Allen
Tulika Dhar, Stream Money
Emily Gooday, Genistar Ltd
Alexandra Ringer, Law Debenture
Noor Singh, Capgemini Invent
Sophia Wilson, Crown Agents Bank
Maryam Zaman, PwC Middle East
Women in Protective Security & GRC Leadership Award
Aleksandra (Assia) Aytova, Applegreen
Rania Bejjani, RB Advisory & Consultancy
Aleksandra Szylkiewicz, Salesforce
Divyasri, NHS Torbay and South Devon
Women in Third-Party Risk Management & GRC Excellence Award
Shradha Chaudhary, Fresenius Medical Care UK
Ivana Ertinger, Honda
Jessica Gyamfi-Osew, Endeavour Mining
Anastasia Sakharova, Sumsub
Sara Sebti, ShareID
Clare Shilling, Admiral
Maryam Zaman, PwC Middle East
The WGRC Awards continue to spotlight the individuals and teams shaping the future of governance, risk, and compliance, recognising both excellence and the ongoing evolution of the profession.
Winners will be announced at the WGRC Awards 2026 ceremony, bringing together leaders and rising stars from across the global GRC community.
Tickets for the 2026 awards ceremony are now available.
Join the conversation and follow updates using #WGRC2026 on LinkedIn.