TechGirl Festival 2026
The HotTopics TechGirl Festival 2026 is a high-energy event designed to inspire, challenge, and connect the next generation of female leaders in technology.

The ultimate tech challenge for future female leaders
The HotTopics TechGirl Festival 2026 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.
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
Apply to join TechGirl Festival
The TechGirl Festival 2026 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.
Joanna Pamphilis
SVP, CIO Global Head of Investments and Securities Digital Products, UniCredit
Lara Burns
Chief Digital Officer, Former The Scouts
Alex Butler
Transformation Director, United Response
Laura Kendrick
CIO, Elior
Elizabeth Akorita
Deputy Director, Digital Delivery, Government of the United Kingdom
Sara Mubasshir
Head of Business Analysis & Change, London Business School
Lydia Nicola
Head of IT Operations, Amnesty International
Anna Verdian
Founder, Axelrod.ai
Sabah Carter
Chief Data, Intelligence and Technology Officer, Financial Services Compensation Scheme
David Germain
NED, Portfolio Career
Mathew Mallett
Chief Digital and Information officer, Chartered Insurance Institute
Anna Barsby
Founder and Managing Partner, Tessiant
Nareni Hourican
Digital Transformation Director - Global Head of Digital & Innovation, Brown-Forman
Lauren Wilson
Cybersecurity Leader, EDF Energy
Paul Smith
CIO, Amnesty International
Georgina Owens
NED, OLA CAB
Lauren Dally
Director of Application Delivery, Ardonagh Group
Krenar Muhidini
Director of Engineering, EML Payments
Giles Lindsay
Chief Information Officer, Lif3away Inc.
Jyotsna Chandrani
Director, Operational and Resilience Risk Tooling, HSBC
Darryl Beckford
Director of Architecture, BT Group (EE, Plusnet)
Srilakshmi Tella
VP, Products, McKesson
Claire Deuchar
CIO , RNLI
Dianna Pieper
CEO and Founder, Innovus Techne
Eugi Bartolo
CPTO, Sifted
Jess Evans
Former CIO, Vanderbilt University
Tanya Hannah
CIO, AON UK LIMITED
Laura Gilbert
Director of Data Science, 10 Downing Street
Randi Levin
White House Advisor, Former White House
Samantha Wilson
CIO, Digital - Retail
Christo Gouws
Technology & Data Director, Marine Stewardship Council
Dia Nag
Director of Digital, BetterGov
Jevern Partridge
CIO, Rexel UK Limited
Bridgid Nzekwu
Moderator, Presenter, Executive Coach,
Christina Scott
Chief Product and Technology Officer, RWS Group
Jason Parkhouse
CIO UK&I, Experian
Deborah Haworth
CISO, Penguin Random House
Louise de Beer
Director of Software Engineering, JVR Solutions
Joanna Drake
CIO, THG
Alison Davis
CIO, GE Healthcare
Carol Chen
CMO, Shell
Jacqui Lipinksi
CIO, Royal College of Art
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.
