
28th August at Cambridge United FC
The HotTopics TechGirl Festival 2025 is a high-energy event designed to inspire, challenge, and connect the next generation of female leaders in technology.
in partnership with

The ultimate tech challenge for future female leaders
The HotTopics TechGirl Festival 2025, in partnership with Cambridge United FC, is a high-energy, hands-on event designed to inspire, challenge, and connect young women aged between 16 - 21 in education who are passionate about technology.
This is your chance to work alongside industry mentors, solve real-world digital challenges, and showcase your ideas in a high-profile competition. The winning solutions will have the opportunity to collaborate with Cambridge United FC to bring their ideas to life across 2025 and 2026.
If you’re ready to put your creativity and problem-solving skills to the test, this festival is for you.


What is TechGirl Festival?
Designed to immerse you in innovation and leadership, the festival gives participants the opportunity to:

Take on a real-world digital transformation challenge in teams

Work with industry experts and mentors to refine your ideas

Pitch solutions to senior technology leaders and Cambridge United FC

Compete to have your idea implemented at the club
The Challenge
Hosted at Cambridge United Football Club (CUFC), teams will tackle a real-world digital transformation problem:
How can technology improve CUFC’s ticketing, fan experience, and food & beverage systems?
With mentorship from senior technology leaders, teams will develop innovative, practical solutions and present them to a panel of industry experts and CUFC decision-makers.
The winning idea will be developed with Cambridge United FC across 2025 and 2026.
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Innovate & build
- Introduction & challenge briefing
- Team formation & strategy sessions
- Hands-on mentorship & idea development
Pitch, learn & connect
- Team presentations to the judging panel
- Thought leadership panels & networking
- Work experience sign-ups with HotTopics mentors
Beyond the Festival: Grow & take action
- Meet industry leaders and potential mentors
- Gain insights into careers in tech
- Be part of a real-world innovation process


Apply to join TechGirl Festival
28th August at Cambridge United FC
The TechGirl Festival 2025 is open to young women aged between 16 - 21 in education who are ready to challenge themselves, learn from industry leaders, and take their first steps toward a career in technology.


Avril Chester
Chief Technology Officer, Royal Pharmaceutical Society
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Lauren Dally
Director of Application Delivery, Ardonagh Group

Indhira Mani
Chief Data Officer, RSA UK

Mariana Reis
Enterprise Head of Data Governance, WPP

Nareni Hourican
Digital Transformation Director - Global Head of Digital & Innovation, Brown-Forman

Lydia Nicola
Head of IT Operations, Amnesty International

Lauren Wilson
Senior Leader in Cyber Incident Management, EDF Energy

Steve Brown
Vice President, Cybersecurity & Resilience, Mastercard

Rubi Kaur
Chief Enterprise Architect, Lloyds

Jevern Partridge
CIO, Rexel UK Limited

Helen Rabe
CISO, BBC

Alex Butler
Transformation Director, United Response

Lauren Wilson
Senior Leader in Cyber Incident Management, Former EDF Energy

David Thomas
CIO, Magellan Point

Christina Tueje
Strategy Director: AI, Data and Technology, GRC Information Management

Priya Bhola
Technology Service Owner, Ericsson

Grace Tattersall
Partner, Anderson Quigley
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Lara Burns
Chief Digital Officer, Former Scouts

Nadia Volkova
Global Digital Commercial Director, Diageo

Eugi Bartolo
CPTO, Sifted

Rich Corbridge
CIO, Segro

Eileen Jennings-Brown
Chief Operating Officer, Exergy3 Limited

Danny Attias
CDIO, London Business School

Rachel Scully
Digital Capability Director, Shell

Ann Walker
Senior Vice President, Major Programmes and Strategic Initiatives, Mastek

Anna Barsby
Founder and Managing Parnter, Tessiant

David Germain
NED, Board Advisor,
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Giles Lindsay
Chief Information Technology Officer, Lif3away inc

Darryl Beckford
Director of Architecture, BT Group (EE, Plusnet)
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Gregory Dumont
CISO | DPO, SBE
Who is behind TechGirl?
TechGirl is powered by HotTopics, the global C-suite community connecting 19,000+ senior executives from the world’s biggest companies.
That means when you join TechGirl, you’re connecting with leaders who shape the industry today—and can help you shape it tomorrow.


Thanks to our partners
