Speakers
Keynote speaker
Professor Dame Athene Donald DBE, FRS, Professor Emerita of Experimental Physics, University of Cambridge
Professor Dame Athene Donald, DBE FRS, is a Professor Emerita of Experimental Physics at the University of Cambridge, where she spent almost her entire career.
Her research area was soft condensed matter and biological physics.
She was the University’s first Gender Equality Champion from 2010 to 2014 and was awarded the 2019 THE Lifetime Achievement Award for her work championing women.
From 2014-24, she was Master of Churchill College, a college focused on STEM, where she ensured that admissions moved from 28% women to parity within five years.
Now retired, she is chairing the Science Advisory Council for the Department for Education.
Keynote: What’s stopping you?
Places of business and education have changed since I entered the job market. Changed substantially for women. Gone are the days when I was regularly the only woman in the room as a physicist. Gone are the days when no one else was worrying about school holiday childcare and men behaved as if they didn’t have children.
But… there are still many places of work where women are systematically, although possibly unintentionally, disadvantaged, where ‘banter’ and worse thrives, and where women can feel excluded or unwanted.
All the problems used to be seen as women’s problems. That has improved, but much more can be done by involving like-minded men in the change that needs to happen. Inclusion should work for everyone. As long as women remain under-represented problems will continue, so we also have to worry about the pipeline.
We need to ensure children – boys and girls – see women doing extraordinary things across the sector, and get into schools to enthuse youngsters. Teachers should be challenged, just as much as employers, to see past stereotypes. Employers need to see past the conventional ideas of what an ideal apprentice looks like in a machine shop, for instance, to widen the pool of recruits.
We’ve come a long way. But there is so much more to do.
Special guest speaker
Dawn Ohlson, VP Engineering, Ultra Cyber and President of The IET
Inspired by her father’s career and a lifelong passion for mathematics, Dawn Ohlson embarked on a journey into engineering that would span more than three decades.
After graduating with an engineering degree, she joined Racal, where she began building her expertise in avionics systems. She remained with the company through its transition into Thales, ultimately spending nearly 30 years leading complex projects across hardware, software and systems engineering.
Throughout her career, Dawn has been a champion of innovation and collaboration, guiding multidisciplinary teams and mentoring countless early-career engineers. Her leadership has been instrumental in delivering cutting-edge avionics solutions and she is widely respected for her technical depth and strategic vision.
Beyond her professional achievements, Dawn has been a tireless advocate for STEM outreach. She has worked extensively with schools, universities and industry bodies to inspire the next generation of engineers, particularly young women, believing strongly that engineering should make a tangible difference in people’s lives. Her outreach work includes mentoring schemes, public engagement events, and advisory roles on educational initiatives.
Dawn continues to contribute to the engineering community through speaking engagements, advisory panels and mentoring programmes. She is passionate about ensuring that engineering remains inclusive, impactful and deeply connected to society’s evolving needs.
Conference speakers
Professor Elena Rodriguez-Falcon FREng FIET, Provost and Chief Academic Officer, Study Group, Chair of the Engineering Development Trust and Industrial Cadets
Professor Elena Rodriguez-Falcon is Provost at Study Group and specialises in enterprise, engineering, and global education.
A Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Engineering and Technology, she has received numerous accolades, including being named the 2020 Woman of the Year in Technology and one of the top 101 global Mexicans.
In 2025, she was awarded The Princess Royal’s WISE Lifetime Achievement. Elena is passionate about innovation in education and outreach initiatives, and serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees for EDT and Industrial Cadets, and President of her Alma Mater, UANL’s International Advisory Board.
Flash talk: No time to dither anymore: turning outreach on its head
In the fight to close the gender gap in STEM, it’s clear that traditional outreach efforts have fallen short.
Despite years of initiatives aimed at supporting girls and women, we continue to see stagnation in their participation and retention in these fields. The time has come for a radical shift in our approach—one that disrupts the status quo rather than merely tweaking existing strategies.
We must challenge the prevailing narratives and rethink who is involved in outreach action. This means engaging not only the traditional subjects but also policymakers and industry leaders.
Systemic changes are necessary, including the implementation of policies that reflect the diverse needs of female STEM professionals. Parents must also be educated about STEM subjects so they can act as catalysts of change.
I have for a long time been of the view that, it may even be time to reconsider the very language we use—even changing the name of the engineering profession itself to attract a broader audience.
It’s not just about outreach anymore; it’s about a comprehensive overhaul of the entire ecosystem. Let’s embrace this disruption and take bold action now, ensuring that we create a future where women thrive in STEM. The responsibility rests with us to pave the way for the next generation.
Paul Williams, Bloomberg
Paul co-founded the London Engineering Department at Bloomberg, and is part of the leadership team that has seen the local office grow to 1,600 developers over the last 26 years. He and his peers designed and built many core components of the Bloomberg Professional Service, including Launchpad, the multi-screen real-time financial data display, and Instant Bloomberg (“IB”), the finance industry’s ubiquitous secure instant messaging system.
Paul is involved with STEM and education initiatives in the UK, working with non-profits and educational establishments to help ensure that the next generation is excited about a future in technology.
He founded his first STEM scholarship with the University of Leicester and Virgin Galactic, and is very actively involved with supporting education charity Big Change. In total, he has raised over £250,000 in the last 10 years.
Paul won the WISE STEM Ally Award 2025. He 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.
Flash talk: Activating Agency
For me, the fundamental tenet of allyship is providing the opportunity for everyone in a team to develop agency – that is, to have the power and resources they need to fulfil their full potential.
This can be as simple as making space for every voice in the room to be heard, or giving one software engineer the opportunity to try out their own approach or idea to solve a problem, or offering to co-present with a nervous speaker who has been selected to speak at a conference – in addition to encouraging and championing those who feel they don’t yet have that agency.
In my talk, I will share some examples of how I have gone about these kinds of things with women I have supported during various stages in my career.
In addition, I will explain how I have successfully illuminated career pathways and opened up possibilities for which young people might not otherwise have been aware through supporting a variety of STEM initiatives in the UK over the last 10 years and setting up my own STEM scholarship.
Becky Kalam, Community and Outreach Project Manager, Playground Games
Becky Kalam is the Community and Outreach Project Manager at Playground Games, leading strategies that foster equity, representation, and belonging. Becky was appointed a board member of UKIE’s EDI Committee in 2024 and Co-Leads the Xbox Studio D&I Network, driving industry-wide inclusion programmes.
With over 10 years extensive experience in strategic leadership and organisational development, Becky is passionate about inclusion and representation and endeavours to encourage more women into the games industry and champions diversity to enhance creativity and innovation.
Flash talk: The importance of inclusion and accessibility in games and technology
In the rapidly evolving world of gaming and technology, it is paramount to foster an environment of inclusivity and diversity.
We truly believe that diversity and inclusion fuels our creativity and drives our innovation, connecting us closer to our players.
By embracing diversity, companies can cultivate innovative ideas that resonate with a broader audience, ultimately leading to more engaging and relatable gaming experiences.
Moreover, accessibility in games and technology is a fundamental pillar, essential to ensuring all individuals, regardless of physical or cognitive abilities, can enjoy and participate in gaming.
We will highlight the importance of integrating accessibility features into game design from the outset, stressing the need for comprehensive and thoughtful approaches to inclusivity.
The discussion aims to inspire developers, designers, and industry leaders to recognise the value of diverse and inclusive teams, and the profound impact such teams can have on creating universally accessible technologies.
At Playground Games, we don’t just create extraordinary games. Our employee-led initiatives, deep partnerships and unwavering focus on lived experience, makes us more than a workplace – it makes us a community where everyone belongs.
Susi Farnworth, Head of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, EngineeringUK
Susi leads EngineeringUK’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Programmes work to ensure that all young people, from all backgrounds, are informed and inspired into careers in engineering and technology.
Susi is passionate about working inclusively with and for young people and has led the development of a number of evidence-based youth programmes, including youth smoking and drug prevention initiatives and community programmes for Deaf and disabled young people, as well as working in industry.
Lydia Fairman, Head of Capability and Skills Development, Network Rail
Lydia’s the Head of Capability and Skills Development for Network Rail. Lydia leads a team of people who are focused on planning for the future.
Committed to increasing diversity and gender equity, Lydia works to increase the number of women working within the rail sector, passionate about working in a culture where women feel safe, respected and want to stay.
Along with colleagues around the company, Lydia contributed towards the design and creation of “Allies for inclusion”, a training platform to help colleagues to understand what it’s like to be a female in a male dominated organisation.
Also driving the work to become White Ribbon accredited, Network Rail achieved this in 2020, Lydia is now a White Ribbon trustee, continuing to work closely with the charity to change the story for women and girls everywhere.
Shamineh Mavalvala, WISE Delivery & Outreach Specialist, My Skills My Life
“I am the WISE Delivery and Outreach Specialist at The IET. I joined the WISE team in 2023 and was previously Projects and Outreach Lead. I studied Gender Studies (BA) and Social Development (MA) and have over 10 years’ experience in event and project delivery for nonprofit organisations in the UK.
I am passionate about WISE’s mission to achieve gender parity in STEM workforces by inspiring the next generation into STEM. I work with our member organisations to help showcase the vast career possibilities available to young people through role-modelling and interactive workshops.”
Meet your panellists
How can an organisation secure meaningful buy-in at all levels to advance women in STEM?
Mamta Singal
Mamta Singhal graduated from her BEng (Hons) in Product Design Engineering in 2001 from Glasgow University/Glasgow School of Art, her MSc from Design, Manufacturing and Engineering Management in 2002 and then her MBA with distinction from Strathclyde International Business School in 2009. During her MBA she was in the top 4 global for AMBA’s MBA student of the year.
She began working as a trainee engineer at Polaroid and then moved on to Dyson Ltd graduate scheme in 2004. She then progressed to a Global Design Engineer for Toy Manufacturer Hasbro Inc where she combined creativity, engineering, manufacturing, technology and sharp project management skills. Over her 2 decades following her graduation she has world for massive global players in technical, manufacturing and supply chain roles for firms such as Coca-Cola European Partners, Mars Chocolate, Mattel and most recently Diageo Plc.
Mamta has taken an active and passion role in supporting those with neuro-diverse thinking and those from culturally diverse backgrounds. She is a tri-national herself and has worked globally for most of her career as well lived range of countries.
She is a Visiting Professor at Middlesex University, sits on the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) Board of Trustees. Active in the STEM outreach forums including being a spokesperson at times for the IET, Royal Academy of Engineering, WES, Engineering Council, Stemettes and many others. Speaking to the BBC, ITV news and a range of other national and local networks about the important role that engineers play in society. In 2021 she was awarded IET Fellowship and the year before she gained her WES Fellowship. She was appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 New Year’s Honours List for services to engineering.
She was a member of the Council and the Volunteer Engagement Board for 3 years and sat on the IET Manufacturing Policy Panel and Neurodiversity Network. She has given talks at the IET Open House events and other key IET activities. In 2008 she won the IET WES Young Women Engineer of the Year Prize and went on to judge and chair the award on a number of occasions. She has also judged the IET Global Innovation Awards. She also appeared in the award winning IET’s ‘Portrait of an Engineer’ campaign in 2017 which featured in the Cosmopolitan Magazine. She is always taken aback when people still say ‘you don’t look like an engineer’!
Lucy Davies
Lucy is an Aerospace Engineer working at the forefront of rapid product development at BAE Systems after attaining a Master’s Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Loughborough University in 2021. She gained her Incorporated Engineer Status with the Royal Aeronautical Society, winning the inaugural Best Newly Incorporated Engineer Award with the Women’s Engineers Society.
Lucy is a staunch advocate for women in engineering, working as a regular STEM ambassador and the Chair of the WISE Young Professionals’ Board.
Lily Davies-Dobbs
Lily is a multi-award winning Transformation Manager working in Telecoms. She leds on delivering automation and data related transformational change – PMP, Scrum and ITIL certified with experience across operations, network and software engineering.
She is very proud to be a WISE Young Professionals Board Member – where she shares her passion for gender equity and female representation in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) through the WYPB social media channels and podcast ‘Unfiltered STEM’.
She is also an experienced mentor and proud STEM ambassador speaking at schools, conferences and events including OneTechWorld. And the Creator and Co-Founder of ‘2 Sisters In STEM’ a blog where her and her sister share their stories to empower and inspire more women into STEM careers.