Our amazing speakers
Below, you can explore the list of all the awe-inspiring role models who joined us for our past broadcasts and who shared with us that apple-falling-off-the-tree EPIPHANY where they knew that science and their being were inexplicably intertwined… Read their bios by hoovering on their photos!
Tip: Click on their photo to connect with them on LinkedIn!
Meet our speaker, Priscila Queiros! Priscila is a Principal Category Manager in Networks and manages leased network lines to make sure their customers are connected even in places where Vodafone might not have their own network. Did you know that Priscila has been a part of our g4g world for a long time? First, volunteering at g4g Day in Brazil & Brussels, and bringing g4g to Luxembourg and Vodafone!
Meet our speaker, Veronika Geleta! With over 15 years of experience in technology industry, Veronika currently works as a Service Manager at World Wide Technology in London. In her role, she supports and helps to make sure serices at World Wide Technology are being seamlessly delivered to their clients.
Meet our speaker, Kate Clooney! Kate is an Account Director and leads a high-performance sales and service team at World Wide Technology in London. She supports and helps oversee and plan projects, nurture relationships with clients, and coordinate various teams. Outside of work, she is passionate about horses and horse competitions.
Laura Hunt joined AIG in September 2022 as Chief Information Officer UK and is a member of the UK Executive Leadership team. Laura has 20 years’ experience in technology and spent the last 10 years in insurance. She’s previously held senior roles in both start-up technology companies and large global financial services organisations. She has worked in the US, UK, Channel Islands and Asia. Most recently, Laura was responsible for the creation of an underwriting division within a Lloyd’s and Company insurance market and built a high performing team who wrote a substantial book of both Cyber Insurance and Reinsurance business. Turning her hand back to technology with a deep understanding of the business Laura has joined AIG to drive forward our technology, digital transformation and e-trade strategy, she is an advisor on the AIG Global Women In Technology Group and an active mentor for upcoming talent in the London market.
Meet, Ellie Jaques! Ellie joined AIG in 2017 as a Commercial Underwriting Summer Intern. She then returned to AIG in 2018 as an Underwriting Graduate in the Surety team. In April 2020, Ellie moved to the Cyber team as an Assistant Underwriter and was promoted to Cyber Underwriter in 2022. Ellie is now responsible for her own portfolio of renewal business and is also regularly underwriting new business. Ellie grew up in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, and after completing A-Levels in Maths, Biology & Chemistry, went onto Oxford University to study Chemistry for four years and achieve her Masters’ degree. Ellie’s Masters’ research has lead her to be listed as an author in a research paper published in Nature Synthesis earlier this year, four years after leaving university.
Meet Ana, an Underwriting Graduate at AIG! Ana recently graduated this summer with a first class masters in Marine Biology and is now working within the cyber team at AIG. Ana is a driven individual on the subject of sustainability and completed her Masters’ research project on the effect of climate change on coral reefs. She now is working towards becoming an underwriter in cyber and strives to join her passions for sustainability and the insurance sector to progress corporate climate responsibility.
Meet Nishat! She is a Senior Researcher at Rise Research Institutes of Sweden AB. She specializes in heterogeneous machine learning techniques. An optimist and a hard worker, Nishat takes interest in the application of innovative machine learning models, algorithms and its future challenges. We are excited to have her in our broadcast
Meet Mabel Pous-Fenollar, Head of IoT Connectivity for Vodafone Business! Having studied electrical engineering and wireless communication, she brings over 14 years’ experience at various positions and countries at Vodafone.
Meet Valarmathy! She is a Material Polymer Scientist who helps develop adhesives at Ashland Inc. Valarmathy dedicates her time developing and formulating properties of materials. She also speaks three languages! That's incredible! We can't wait to hear from her in our broadcast.
Meet Leah Nozarick, an engineering consultant at World Wide Technology (WWT)! Leah is a determined individual passionate about directly making a difference in today’s sustainability challenges. With a background in mechanical engineering, she is also a STEM Ambassador and Advocate for Women and BAME in Tech.
Meet LaTasha D. Baker, a Senior Internal Communications Specialist at SES Satellites, Luxembourg! As an internal communications professional, LaTasha is responsible for delivering change communications, culture & employee engagement, and internal branding. With more than a decade of experience serving the Banking, Consumer Products, and Entertainment industries, she is most passionate about creating communications strategies and new communications channels.
Meet our speaker Patricia! She is a Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst at AIG. How cool is that! At her job, Patricia meets with sources to identify new and emerging threats relevant to the company and analyzes them to understand their potential impact. We can't wait to hear from her in our broadcast, Connection.
Meet our speaker Justine! She is a Senior Security Engineer at AIG. Justine designs and performs tests to understand the current risk to the firm. She is creative and adventurous and we are excited to have her in our broadcast, Connection!
Meet Eva! She is a Policy Adviser at COP26 -UN Climate Change Conference. Trained in Climate Change Diplomacy Training and Mental Health First AID, Eva speaks three languages - English, French and Italian. We can't wait to hear from her in our broadcast.
Meet Lucy, the Senior Depositary Manager at HSBC Luxembourg! With her background in biotechnology and finance, Lucy brings over 20 years of experience in Depositary Banking and Corporate Treasury. In her job, she performs checks when people invest some of their money into what's called an investment fund to make sure the fund is working well. When she is not working, she likes to travel and explore the world. We can’t wait to hear her perspective on our broadcast, Invest.
Meet Jennifer! She is the head of Cloud Portfolio at Vodafone Business. Jennifer is passionate about innovation which helps customers to benefit in a digital world. When she is not working, she loves to art and craft, do puzzles, and goof around with her kids. We are thrilled to have on our broadcast, Invest.
Meet Michele who is a multilingual science communicator with a background in biomedical research! At her job at Fonds National de la Recherche, Michele helps people understand science and get excited about it through web and multimedia. Isn’t that amazing! We can’t wait to hear from her and learn more about investing in STEM.
Meet Rudayna, an expert at envisioning, managing, and tailoring solutions to challenging issues. From building in urban geographies in the Arabian Gulf to empowering refugee and disadvantaged children to learn and thrive through self-paced, motivational electronic tools, she’s done it all!
Meet Marita, who leads R&D (Research & Development) projects in her company. Her degrees in Pharmaceutics AND Analytical Chemistry gives her a keen eye for all-things-innovation. She has always been very involved on helping women grow professionally and supported Women in Leadership positions.
Meet Tessy Antony De Nassau, former Princess of Luxembourg! She is a social entrepreneur, businesswoman, philanthropist, educator, activist, mother, and so much more! She is currently working on her medical doctorate and PhD in integrative medicine AND is also a UN AIDS Global Advocate for Young Women and Adolescent Girls.
Meet Suzy Awford! She is a Strategic Thinker with over 20 years of experience in government. She travels the globe and works with people from all cultures and backgrounds.
Sarah Baatout is our expert on planets, human space exploration, and radiation! She studies the impact of radiation on health with two goals: Improving cancer treatment with radiotherapy and finding ways to protect astronauts from cosmic radiation in view of future missions to the Moon and Mars. Sarah was also nominated ‘beSPACE Personality of 2018’ by the beSPACE community of space enthusiasts, as well as recently honored by the King and Queen in Belgium for her research, talent and engagement in the society! And when she is not the head in the stars she loves ice-skating!
Meet Marianne Baudinet, an IT expert, Transformation Leader, and an Agility superstar in many ways! After a PhD from Stanford University in Computer Science, she joined the IT world and is today a wonderful leader and manager with over 20 years experience.
Meet Nadya Bhettay, Chief Operations Officer of Ventures and Partnerships at Vodacom Group! With her impressive background in finance, business, accounting, and leadership, Nadya has gone from investment banking and big deals to understanding and pivoting Vodacom Business to a new way of serving its customers - offering them e2e digital solutions for their challenges in today's world.
Meet Emma, master in Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology! She worked in design, research and development, before becoming a Risk Engineer. Today, she loves travelling worldwide to share best practices for loss prevention strategies in the oil and petrochemical industry.
Meet your superstar in aerothermodynamics, Bianca Capra! Bianca is an aerospace engineer and Senior lecturer at UNSW canberra. She loves to talk engineering with girls, particularly aerospace and is a strong advocate for more diversity in engineering.
Meet inventor, musician, & expert on plasma physics, Dr Christine Charles! She is currently working as the Head of the Space Plasma, Power and Propulsion laboratory at the Australian National University!
Mayte Cubino Gonzalez is our team champion! Always super dynamic and enthusiastic, Her career led her to work for big tech companies such as Cisco and Microsoft, where she became an expert at generating and building relationships, managing projects, designing strategies, and coaching individuals to success.
Sian Ebsworth is an Engineer at McLaren Applied, and a Formula E expert! Her passions? Motorsport, mechanical design, rock climbing, and... STEM of course! She is used to work in high pressure situations, working with Formula E (a motorsport championship that uses only electric cars!), and is also incredibly skilled in problem solving, communication and negotiation. On her spare time, she is also a passionate STEM Ambassador and is committed to encouraging those of all ages and experience to reach their potential.
Cristina Escubos Alegre is a STEM chameleon! In addition to speaking four languages, she is skilled in Computer-Aided Design, holds a bachelor of Engineering from Loughborough University School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering and is currently working in the sports industry.
Meet Holly Ewing, a Financial adviser with over 15 years’ experience in Financial services! Her purpose? Creating out-of-the-box strategies to improve quality, encourage innovation, and overall, grow the AIG business. Skilled in Negotiation, Financial Services, Management, she is an Award Winning National Sales Manager.
Meet Frances Feliz Kearns! Frances is a Biomedical engineer and is our expert at Quality in the corporate world!
Meet Derya Goos, Electrical and Electronics Engineer working with drones and radars! Her job at NATO is to make sure that all products used for communications are designed in a way that it’s easy to use, safe to operate, while remaining solid!
Meet Katrien Goossens, Diversity expert, Inclusion champion and Change leader! She has worked for many years, bringing her passion for change to various fields and promoting cultural dexterity in the workplace. She is one of our Dynamic heroes!
Sucheta Govil is Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Covestro. Being British citizen of Indian origin born in 1963, Sucheta studied at the University of Delhi and at the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta, where she graduated with a post-graduate degree in Business Management. She spent most of her career in various management positions. Today, she works at Covestro a world-leading supplier of high-tech polymer materials which are innovative, sustainable and diverse. She is in charge of the three divisions Polyurethanes, Polycarbonates and Coatings, Adhesives, Specialties. Govil is also responsible for the Central Marketing, for Innovation Management & Commercial Services.
Dr Sunali Khanna is a reputed environmental health scientist (particularly in Oral Medicine) and activist. She has conducted research on Tobacco related diseases, has co-authored HIV/AIDS manual for health professionals and has participated in health awareness programs on the National Television. She firmly believes in paying back to the community in full measure: Sunali works extensively towards the health care of elderly and marginalized populations and in 2019 she received the Visionary Leadership award for being an insightful and prescient brain trust for health issues in India. She is the Vice President of the Indian Academy of Oral Medicine & Radiology, has authored 65 research papers in international journals, has addressed 45 international conferences, and has also designed training modules and suggested reforms in higher education especially the prevailing examination system. She is also an excellent swimmer who was awarded Sports Authority of India scholarship for five years!
Meet Lori Groth, our expert in Information in the industry sector. She has worked for Stanley Black and Decker for many years, and has developed talents in accounting, computer science, and management.
Meet electrical engineer Paige, the only female engineer working with Solar Impulse 2, the world’s first solar-powered airplane to circumnavigate the globe! Today, she works with innovative materials and technologies in the finance industry.
Meet Fiona Kernan, who has spent 20 years in the field of science research and innovation! She first felt connected to science after winning first prize in a science competition. Since then, she earned her PhD in molecular genetics from Trinity College Dublin and worked across France and Belgium. She is currently Head of Sector for Fundamental Life Sciences and Health at the European Research Council Executive Agency.
Meet Peta, a former marine underwriter who is now an Innovation and Strategy Analyst.
Meet Charlotte Lach, a geography major turned insurance expert and previously named a Rising Star in Insurance! Energetic and driven, she is now AIG's Head of Global Multinational Strategy & Change after a 9 year career at this dynamic company.
Meet Marie Lindsay, a purpose-driven headteacher who has inspired amazing changes in her community. She loves to give purpose to her students by opening doors and encouraging them to find their own vocation!
Meet Vered Lobel, Insurance expert at AIG. Her main strength? Using maths, probabilities and statistics to quantify risk. That’s called ‘Actuarial science’! In 2020, along with 29 other women, she was named ‘Woman to Watch’ by Business Insurance, recognizing her outstanding work in risk management and commercial insurance.
Meet your coastal expert & science communicator, Dr Jennie Mallela! She is one of Australia’s Superstars of STEM and works at The Australian National University
Marta Martín Llaguno is our Communication, Education and Science expert. She worked in many different research fields, such as Health, Ethics, Education, and above all, Gender biases. She holds a PhD in Information Sciences, has been a visiting professor in Universities around the world, is a columnist for several newspapers, participates in radio talk shows, and is a Member of the Spanish Parliament.
Meet Claudia Mazur, a coastal ecosystem scientist whose mission is to improve coastal water quality. She is a biogeochemist interested in understanding how humans impact the natural environment, and is passionate about solving real world environmental challenges thanks to her research. When she is not in the lab or in the field, Claudia enjoys cooking, baking and doing yoga!
Meet Alexandra McFadyen! She is a recent graduate from the University of Canberra studying biomedical science. She loves to volunteer with Girl Guides in her free time and lightweight camping is one of her favourite hobbies. Adventurous and detail-orientated, Alexandra is looking forward to her next role within the Australian Public Service soon.
Meet Mary McKenna, a technology entrepreneur, serial angel investor and a lover of the arts! Based in Ireland, Mary is interested in helping start and grow indigenous Irish & British tech companies and especially in working with young and female entrepreneurs. She is one of Said Business School's (University of Oxford) Entrepreneurship Experts, an Expert Advisor to the EU, a co-founder of AwakenHub (a growing community of female founders across the island of Ireland) and a trustee of CAST (the Centre for Acceleration of Social Technology).
Meet your tech entrepreneur and software superstar, Chelle Melbourne! Curious and passionate, Chelle built one of Australia’s most successful global software companies and now advises others to create their own successful tech businesses.
Diana is our security, vulnerability, and cyber-threat expert! Thanks to her Master of science (MSc) in Telecommunications and her passion for all things STEM (especially mathematics) she worked in several international companies, and recently joined AIG. A diversity advocate, she is also dedicated to supporting students and professionals in information security and leadership. In 2020 she was recognised as one of the “Top 25 most inspiring women in cyber UK” and in 2021, is selected by Women4Cyber in their upcoming book featuring 100+ women in cybersecurity Europe!
Meet Merritt Moore, who graduated in Physics from Harvard and with a PhD in Atomic and Laser Physics from the University of Oxford. She also pursues a professional ballet career, as one of the 12 selected candidates to undergo rigorous astronaut selection on BBC Two "Astronauts: Do you have what it takes?", and she is featured in the bestseller "Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls".
Veena Nair, is an inspiring educator, leader and mentor. As a STEAM project leader and teacher, she loves nothing more than to share her passion for science and mathematics, and she has endeavored to develop student and staff capacity in new and emerging technologies. Her STEAM Club has now 150+ students regularly participating in various activities like 3D printing and designing, wearable technologies, and social entrepreneurship based on UN SDG through the Young Persons Plan for the Planet (YPPP) program. In 2017, she was awarded STEAM 'Teacher of the year' by DATTA Australia. Based in Australia she originally comes from India
Meet Catriona Northcote, a Political Science and Economics student at Trinity College Dublin! Previously a g4g intern, Catriona loves to mix economics with her passion for encouraging girls in STEM. When she is not working as a research assistant in the Department of Economics, you may be able to find her on the screen in the cameo role in the movie “Les Profs 2’’.
Lauriel is a passionate Diversity professional focused on helping talented people to belong and thrive! At AIG, she works on increasing the diversity of people who work there and want to make sure the work culture allows everyone to feel they can be their self and belong.
Meet Chiara Parapini, our Safety professional! She has worked for Stanley Black & Decker for more than 25 years and is dedicated to make sure multinational business master the art of Health and Safety, to keep everyone happy in their work environment!
Meet Alison Phillips, a Risk Engineer at AIG who specialises in fire safety and management. She wakes up each morning to help businesses identify risky situations and provide them with the best advice possible.
Sara is a Professor, and an expert in Pharmacology, stem cells, and tissue generation. She has worked in many UK organisations such as the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, and has been the scientific lead on projects including the Heart and Lung Repair shop. She is also a Champion for Neurodiversity in STEM and loves delivering STEM workshops for children with learning differences.
Meet Nicola Ratchford, a creative marketer, head of Marketing and Communications in the UK.
Thanks to her Masters in economics, Miriam juggles stats, Excel worksheets and numbers in a fashionable way! And as Chair of gender equality matters at AIG, she has plenty to say about the importance of diversity and inclusion! Come meet this untypical personality from the financial services!
Sima Ruparelia is an expert in her field – and that is, insurance! She holds a mathematics-focused Bachelor of Science from Loughborough University.
Julie Ruth used her Chemical Engineering degree to work in insurance, healthcare, and marketing… another proof that STEM opens many doors! Thanks to her STEM degree, which taught her to keep logic whil enabling her to think creatively, she joined the Risk Consulting division at AIG three years ago. This adventurous STEM professional loves to be challenged, and we can’t wait for her to tell us how she turned setbacks into opportunities!
Meet Anna Salewski! Anna is Founder & CEO of SCROBLE, an app that helps simplify the shopping experience by helping you curate items you need wherever you are while bringing people back in-store with local information. Anna is serial entrepreneur and investor, specialized in legal, commercial, financial fields as well as business management – and equally, she is a disrupter and visionary. While building each structure bottom-up, she always keeps her goal in the perspective, achieving it with resilience and determination.
Meet Alexandra Schmidt-Mintgen! With over 21 years of experience in the banking industry (starting since she was 16 years old at a bank), management, business, and innovation, Alexandra currently works as the Chief Operating Officer of HSBC. She has had the chance to travel around the world and values being part of an international team in which people with a very different cultural background work closely together.
Ruchi Sharma is our Biology expert, CEO extraordinaire, and Curious Inventor. She started her career as a veterinarian, after a PhD in the exciting field of stem cell research. She now leads a company that is developing safe new medicines and treatments while reducing animal testing.
Susana Solís Pérez is a Spanish engineer and member of the European Parliament. As an industrial engineer, she spent her career between Germany and Spain. A real problem solver, she now links her machine engineering degree with everything she does as an elected representative, from talking about ethical dimensions of artificial intelligence, to being a member of the European Internet Forum!
Meet Julie Sparrow, a physiotherapist and senior lecturer at Teesside University. A STEM proponent, Julie was part of an elite team of ‘physiotherapy trouble-shooters’ at the London Olympic and Paralympic Games and has also worked at four Commonwealth Games. She is our expert about movement, agility and adaptability!
Meet Jenn Urmston, an adventurer and curious marine biologist in Hawaii! She is our expert in seabird conservation and plans to work for the US Fish and Wildlife Service after graduating this year.
Dr. Berta Vega Sánchez is our expert in Chemistry and Material Science. A passionate, outgoing and innovative person, she is today a marketeer in the Chemical industry, where she works with researchers and polymer solutions in order to build the world of tomorrow.
Meet... Nancy! Nancy has always been fascinated by space. She studied astrophysics and became an airline pilot/instructor. She took part in the ESA astronaut selections, led a Mars simulation expedition and later founded her own Space Training Academy. As a true Space Ambassador, she aims to bring the universe closer to the people through lectures, team building exercises and space training courses.
Meet Nephele Yeager, our media and communication champion. She uses technology, cloud computing and data analysis in her daily life in order to promote and talk about big companies such as eBay, Spotify, Sephora…
Meet Arabella Young! She is a student researcher at Australian National University having just graduated with a Bachelor of Science with Honours majoring in Science Communication, Ecological, Environmental and Organismal Biology. As she describes it, she figures out whether people who aren’t scientists understand science… And if they don’t, she figures out how to fix that. When she is not diving into all things STEM and education, you can find her running ultramarathons!
Jaya Iyer, is a creative, driven and hardworking CEO. She runs an online company that makes STEM themed clothing for the whole family (and not only all of them are super fun… they all have pockets!). Her goal is to shatter gender stereotypes that exist in the apparel industry and her creativity and her experience in the apparel industry is helping her achieve just this.
Annabel Latham is a Senior Lecturer at University; She teaches computer science and does artificial intelligence research. Her research aims to create computer tutors who can act intelligently like humans and help students like a personal tutor (her computer tutors can use normal language, answer questions, give hints…). Annabel is passionate about promoting the power of computational intelligence and AI to improve our lives, and enjoys discussing the benefits and ethical risks in her role as STEM ambassador. On her spare time, she loves creative activities, particularly crafts like sewing, crochet, painting and cooking.
Meet Vanessa, a positive and driven scientist at Astrazeneca in the UK! As an analytical scientist with a background in biochemistry, you can find her often in a lab moving clear liquid from an Eppendorf to an instrument. And when she is not saving lives with research, she loves to play piano!
Meet Thanuri Welaratne! She is a science communicator from Canberra who is passionate about inspiring the next generation through informal education. With her background in ecology, administration, and relationship management, she currently holds the role as a Cyber Ready Officer at Questacon – the National Science and Technology Center. Her aim is to empower young people to feel confident and enthusiastic about science!
Thanks to her studies in Chemical engineering, Rachel Shaye is today a Risk Engineering Manager at AIG. After working for a chemical plant for 18 years, she decided to change field: Today, she helps big companies finding out what process work, what can be improved, and above all, how to make sure everyone stay safe!
Meet Charlotte, a graduate structural engineer from the UK! Ambitious, determined, and sensible, Charlotte has always been determined to learn and develop herself and achieve new personal and professional heights. What’s more? She was a previous g4g intern who studied maths, physics, and chemistry!! She is currently working at Canham Consulting where she solves engineering problems with innovative new designs and ideas
Meet Reniera, the Higher Education Lead at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in the UK! With a passion for circular economy and a background in zoology and environmental science, Reniera has over 18 years’ experience across local government and is currently setting the strategic vision for education with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
Meet Tina Zournatzi, International relations expert at the European Commission. Her job is to encourage everyone to work together across borders to solve problems and create more opportunities. Today, she combines the passion of getting people together to work on the Green Deal, a project that will make Europe the first carbon neutral continent by 2050.
Valerie Wilson is an engineering professional who worked in many sectors, from oil and gas to construction, to sustainability, and much more. In her job she uses her engineering education to guide business decisions based on risk. She is a true problem-solver: She loves nothing more to learn about an organization’s need and try to develop and implement solutions! On her free time, she loves experiencing science with her son. Her favorite STEM experiments? Sending mealworms into space!
Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts! Anna is an inspiring and experienced leader with more than 25 years leading teams across various international organisations such as the Red Cross, the UN Agency, and more. With a background in international law, international organisations, and languages – as well as a passion for human rights – we can’t wait to hear her perspective on balance, especially in STEM!
