Friday 4th, 2025
Last night, Thursday 3rd July 2025, the 2025 Women in GRC Awards brought together the brightest minds and boldest voices in the Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) sector for an evening of celebration, connection, and well-deserved recognition.
Now in its fourth year, the Women in GRC Awards continue to spotlight those making waves in the industry – not just for what they do, but how they do it. This year, the awards attracted over 400 nominations across 22 categories, recognising women, allies, teams, and organisations who are reshaping the GRC landscape globally. From rising stars to established leaders, the nominees represented the very best in innovation, inclusion, and leadership.
A total of 24 winners were honoured at the event, which welcomed more than 300 guests – including shortlisted finalists, judges, sponsors, and industry allies, to a vibrant celebration of excellence and community.
The evening began with a powerful welcome address by Niki Dowdall, Founder of the Women in GRC Awards.
“We’ve come a long way since launching these awards during a time of global uncertainty in 2021,” said Dowdall. “But the numbers speak for themselves, we are still far from equity in this space. Tonight is about celebrating those who are changing that – the people advocating for fairness and building a future where every voice is heard.”
Following Dowdall’s speech, Vasiliki Stergiou, Partner at McKinsey & Company, took the stage on behalf of the headline sponsor. She addressed the importance of collaboration and accountability in driving meaningful progress.
“Each of the wonderful women you’ll see championed here tonight has undoubtedly been raised up by their workplace community and been inspired by others – it really shows. ” Stergiou noted. “As Billie Jean King once said, ‘You have to see it to be it.’ Tonight, we make sure the world sees it.”
Dinner was served before the audience heard from Kathryn Hollingworth Head of RISC at UKSBS, 2024 Woman of the Year and respected leader in privacy and risk.
“I stumbled into this profession not really knowing where I belonged. But I found a place where attention to detail and process matter – and I thrived,” Hollingworth said. “To the nominees tonight: your work matters. Believe in yourself even when others don’t – and show the next generation that hard work truly pays off.”
Full list of 2025 Winners:
- GRC Rising Star of the Year: SME – Alka Kumar, CoreStream GRC
- GRC Rising Star of the Year: Large Company – Leonie Witte, Capgemini Invent UK
- GRC International Rising Star – Julia Nsaleni Tembe, Vodacom Mozambique
- GRC Innovator of the Year – Sophie Lis, CoreStream GRC
- GRC Ambassador of the Year – Juliana Oliveira Nascimento, Compliance Women Committee
- GRC Role Model of the Year – Victoria Guilloit, Capgemini Invent & Rebecca McLean, AXA Commercial
- GRC Educator of the Year – Juliana Oliveira Nascimento, Compliance Women Committee
- Male Advocate of the Year – Jano Bermudes, CyXcel
- Sustainability Champion in GRC – Caro Robson, Caro Robson Consulting
- Legal Champion of the Year – Eleonor Duhs, Bates Wells LLP
- Governance Champion of the Year – Claire Robson, Chartered Insurance Institute
- AI Leader of the Year – Jen Gennai, T3
- Technology Leader of the Year – Anna Slodka-Turner, Evalueserve
- Diversity & Inclusion Champion of the Year – Sharon Sharples, Barclays
- Information Security Leader of the Year – Noha Amin
- CEO of the Year – Monica Eaton, Chargebacks911
- Compliance Leader of the Year – Nicola Read, The Owl Centre Limited
- Risk Leader of the Year – Tulika Dhar, BCB Group
- Privacy Leader of the Year – Hayley Youngs, ManpowerGroup
- Diversity & Inclusion Team of the Year – Inpay
- Cybersecurity Team of the Year – BPP
- GRC Employer of the Year – Bridgehouse
The ceremony concluded with the presentation of the most prestigious accolade of the evening, the Woman of the Year award – which was kept under wraps until the very end.
The 2025 honour went to Victoria Guilloit, Director of Digital Trust and Security at Capgemini Invent, in recognition of her outstanding leadership, advocacy, and contributions to the profession. Victoria also took home the GRC Role Model of the Year award earlier in the evening.
Her dual win marked a powerful close to an unforgettable night, one that reminded everyone in the room what’s possible when values, vision, and action align.
To explore the full list of winners, read more about the judging process, or learn how to get involved with the Women in GRC Awards, please visit: www.womeningrcawards.com
Main Contact:
Rachel Jones, Awards Manager
