WISE Awards 2025
Congratulations to our 2025 WISE Awards winners!
On Thursday, 20 February, we hosted our annual WISE Awards at IET London: Savoy Place. It was a night of celebration and recognition of all the amazing people and organisations who are working hard to make STEM a more equitable industry for women.
We had the pleasure of our Royal Patron, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal in attendance to hand out the awards to our winners and finalists.
The evening celebrated 33 extraordinary finalists across eleven categories, all of which were highly commended and are excellent role models for future generations.
And the winners are…
The Princess Royal’s WISE Lifetime Achievement Award
Elena Rodriguez-Falcon, Study Group
Elena is a globally recognised expert and leader in engineering education, specifically in inclusive and international learning and teaching.
She was celebrated for her dedication to making engineering more accessible for underrepresented groups and the way she has challenged and reshaped traditional concepts of teaching.
Elena has made a truly lasting impact on the way we create our engineers of the future.
The Princess Royal’s WISE Rising Star Award
Lella Violet Halloum, IBM
Lella was praised for having an intuitive understanding of the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion.
Despite still only being in her early twenties, Lella has had an impressive career to date. She is a self-taught coder, IBM Europe’s youngest employee and currently leads global student outreach for IBM Z.
The judges highlighted her positive thinking and brilliant flourishing mind, making her a worthy winner of this year’s The Princess Royal’s WISE Rising Star Award.
Outstanding Woman in Engineering Award
Sarah Badesha, Chivas Brothers
Sarah manages a diverse team and a range of projects spanning multiple engineering disciplines, in her role as Head of Engineering at Chivas Brothers.
She shows real passion and commitment to her work and champions those around her, to create a more inclusive environment for everyone.
The judges stated that “every company in engineering needs a true trailblazer with her approach and career history” to shine a light for others like her.
Thank you to BAE Systems for sponsoring this award.
Outstanding Woman in Science Award
Catherine Ross, Scottish Government
Catherine is a dynamic leader who has transformed the delivery of healthcare science in Scotland, making major impacts as a scientific leader in the UK and Europe.
She shows a clear passion for not only her day job, but also for inspiring the next generation by supporting local groups with STEM activities.
She is determined to improve equitable access for all and uses her experiences to influence and develop policy within her role in the Scottish Government.
Thank you to Pfizer for sponsoring this award.
Outstanding Woman in Technology Award
Sharan Johnstone, University of South Wales
Sharan has transformed cybersecurity education in her role as Head of Subject for Cyber Security and Digital Forensics at the University of South Wales, setting the standard for innovation in a rapidly evolving field.
Described as tenacious and courageous, Sharan isn’t scared to try new things to ensure her students receive the very best education.
She empowers her students and supports them through mentorship, as a result the gender balance has improved significantly at the University of South Wales.
Thank you to Northrop Grumman for sponsoring this award.
Nurturing New Talent Award
Laura Fogg-Rogers, University of the West of England
Laura is Associate Professor for Engineering in Society in the School of Engineering at UWE. She is dedicated to empowering women in STEM through the Women in Industry and Women Like Me programme. She creates opportunities by connecting different sectors to ensure long-term positive impact. She has transformed mentorship and support for more than 300 women, guiding them through critical stages of their career. In just one year her efforts helped to increase female enrolment in UWE Bristol’s degree apprenticeships from 20% to 37%.
Thank you to GCHQ for sponsoring this award.
STEM Ally Award
Paul Williams, Bloomberg LP
Passionate about STEM, Paul actively supports women in tech by championing inclusive hiring practices and mentoring female professionals.
A genuine leader who not only deeply understands the challenges women face in STEM, but also the broader societal barriers they encounter.
He invests time, resource, and unwavering effort into meaningful initiatives that drive lasting impact and create opportunities for women in STEM and beyond.
Thank you to BDO for sponsoring this award.
STEM Returner Award
Maria Holloway-Strong, AtkinsRéalis
After a 17-year career break to raise her children, Maria returned to AtkinsRéalis as part of their STEM Returners programme, receiving four promotions in six years to her current role as Principal Engineering Geologist.
The judges were blown away by the Maria, not just by what she has achieved on her return to work, but by the resilience and determination she has shown in a hard-fought career development journey.
She is an exceptional role model who shares her lived experience to make a difference both within her organisation and the wider industry.
A shining example that a career break should not be a barrier to success.
Thank you to STEM Returners for sponsoring this award.
Outreach and Engagement Award
Julie Feest, Engineering Development Trust and Industrial Cadets
Julie is extremely passionate about the work that she does as CEO of Engineering Development Trust, to drive change and support young people into fulfilling STEM careers.
The judges admired her focus on building strength through collaborative partnerships and felt she has made a huge difference to the lives of the young people her organisation has supported.
Thank you to the ERA Foundation for supporting this award.
Women’s Wellbeing at Work Award
Network Rail
Network Rail was celebrated for the incredible impact its having, not only on women’s health within the organisation, but the wider industry.
The team there have embedded an inclusive culture across all of their sites to ensure that women are comfortable and supported whilst at work.
Congratulations to the Danielle Dickens and the Network Rail team who have been working tirelessly to support women’s wellbeing at work.
Thank you to ECITB for sponsoring this award.
EDI Organisation of the Year Award
AtkinsRéalis
AtkinsRéalis is truly leading in EDI within the STEM industry.
A values-driven organisation with an inspiring purpose, where EDI is at the heart of everything it does through its impactful EDI programme Different Makes a Difference.
AtkinsRéalis are leading on, and driving challenging conversations and collaborating with institutions and competitors to share best practices and inspire diverse talent to pursue engineering and STEM careers.
Well done to Rebecca Crowther and everyone at AtkinsRéalis who has contributed to the success of their EDI programme.
Thank you to Amazon for sponsoring this award.
Thank you again to everyone who contributed to the success of our 2025 WISE Awards. We’re incredible proud of every single person and organisation who helps us in our mission to achieve gender parity in STEM.
There’s still more to do, so we hope to see you at our annual WISE Conference at IET London: Savoy Place on 30 September.
The full-day event will focus on how we accelerate the pace of change to ensure we meet our target of 30% of women in STEM roles by 2030.
To find out more about the event, and how you can get involved, please visit our website WISE Conference 2025.
