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Shortlist for 2026 Scotland Women in Technology Awards Revealed

Elizabeth Greenberg

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swit awards
“This year’s incredible shortlist highlights that representation does indeed exist, and gender championship is happening across the breadth of roles that exist within the tech sector,” Silka Patel, Founder and Chair of Scotland Women in Technology said. 

Individuals and organisations from finance to education have been revealed as finalists for the Scotland Women in Technology (SWiT) 2026 awards.

The shortlist was announced this evening at an event hosted by headline sponsor Morgan Stanley at its Glasgow office. It reflects the breadth of Scotland’s technology ecosystem, celebrating the achievements of 27 organisations in 10 categories across financial services, artificial intelligence, data, cybersecurity, software engineering and STEM education.

Now in their ninth year, the awards recognise contributions at every career stage – from rising stars and career changers to mentors, innovators, everyday leaders, gender diversity allies and female innovators. Organisational categories also celebrate outstanding diversity initiatives and inclusive recruitment practices.

Silka Patel, Founder and Chair of Scotland Women in Technology said: “Since founding SWiT 18 years ago, I have been a big believer in the position that if you cannot see it, then you cannot be it. This year’s incredible shortlist which includes computing teachers, tech associates, company founders and vice presidents at globally renowned firms highlights that representation does indeed exist, and gender championship is happening across the breadth of roles that exist within the tech sector – from the grassroots to global networks. I cannot wait to celebrate each of our finalists in November.”

The winners will be announced at a prestigious awards ceremony at the Glasgow Marriott Hotel on Thursday 5th November. Morgan Stanley is the 2026 awards headline sponsor and The Royal Bank of Scotland are gold sponsor.
Marina Carson, Executive Director at Morgan Stanley said: “When women thrive in technology, innovation thrives. Morgan Stanley is proud to headline sponsor the Scotland Women in Technology Awards, recognising those breaking barriers, driving change, and shaping the future of our industry.”
The full shortlist of nominees for the SWiT Awards 2026 include:
Category
Name
Organisation
Role
Inspirational Woman of the Year Award – sponsored by Harvey Nash
Sheryl Newman
Appetite for Business
Founder
Ivona Voroneckaja
Hypercube
Product Manager
Toni Scullion
dressCode & West Lothian Council
Founder & Computer Science Teacher
Emma Mackenzie
ScottishPower
Cyber Governance Lead
Unsung Hero Award – sponsored by Tesco Insurance and Money Services
Lora Barclay
John G Russell Group
Group Business Systems Manager
Jessica Saridakis
Morgan Stanley
Vice President
Sowmya Ramesh
2i
Customer Success Manager
Female Innovator Award – sponsored by Avaloq
Alex Sheach
StructuredAF
Founder
Colette Robinson
Morgan Stanley
Executive Director
Megan Reutin
Grünenthal
Global Head of Data Science, Advanced Analytics and AI
Esma Benssassi
AffectiveHalo
Founder and CEO,
Career Changer of the Year Award – sponsored by Leidos
Chloe Masterson
Modulr
AI and Automation
Clare Parry
Head for Data
Head of Operations
Chloe Urquhart
2i
Junior Quality Engineer
Katherine Lavery
NHS Public Services Delivery (PSD) Scotland
Cyber Security Operations Analyst
Diversity Initiative of the Year Award – sponsored by The Data Lab
ScotlandIS Scholarship with Education Academy Scotland
ScotlandIS
Hopper Awards
dressCode
Ada Scotland Festival
Ada Scotland
Mentor of the Year Award – sponsored by FanDuel
Linda Scott
Connexus
Fractional Consultant
Andrea Rosales
MosAIc
Co-founder
Natasha Kydd
Morgan Stanley
Vice President, Cyber Security
Shruti Nagaraj
JPMorganChase
Associate
Inclusive Recruiter of the Year Award
Lloyds Banking Group
Leidos
Gigged AI
Gender Diversity Ally of the Year Award – sponsored by 2i
Jack Walker
St George’s School
Lead teacher of Computing
Derek Shanks
Lloyds Banking Group
Technology Director, Wealth & Insurance
Joe McGonagle
JPMorganChase
Executive Director
Everyday Leader Award – sponsored by JPMorganChase
Meg Sutton
Kaluza
Senior Software Engineer
Anushree Sarvey Sathish
1datapipe
Senior Data Engineer
Natalia Kajdas
Adobe
Technical Account Manager
Natalie Nicholas
Dropbox
EMEA Channel Sales Manager
Rising Star Award – sponsored by Flow
Chloe Masterson
Modulr
AI and Automation
Asha Mullen
Storm ID Ltd
Associate Digital Consultant
Bolu Omosowon
JPMorganChase
Software Engineer
More information on the awards can be found here: https://www.scotwomenintech.com/swit-awards2026
Additionally, it was confirmed this week that Margaret Totten, Chief Revenue Officer at Yavrio, had been appointed as Vice Chair of SWiT. A board trustee since 2019, Margaret previously served as SWiT Treasurer.

Elizabeth Greenberg

Staff Writer

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