Including CEOs, CFOs, Founders and Executive Team Members.

We are seeking applications from women who hold a C-Level position (CEOs, CFOs, Founders etc) and are driving forward change within the financial innovation space. We want to hear about your achievements in building diverse teams, inspiring the next generation, mentoring inside and outside the workplace or lobbying for policy change to make a difference.

Excluding CEO, Founders and ExCo.

We are looking for newbies and returnees who are taking the FinTech and financial innovation space by storm. You should provide concrete examples on how you have hit the ground running and have promoted inclusion and diversity in your organisation beyond your job description. People applying to this category cannot be in a senior management position (CEOs, Department Heads, etc).

Including VCs, Angel Investors and Accelerators.

We are looking for submissions from women playing a role in changing the current funding environment for women founders and entrepreneurs. We would like examples on how you encourage investment opportunities for women founders and details on the initiatives you have spearheaded to encourage/educate women to take the plunge into entrepreneurship, or investment.

Including HR & Recruitment, Legal, Accountancy, Banking, Business, Consultancy.

This category is open to women who work within the professional services and financial services space. We are seeking examples from inhouse specialists, who are the go-to for the latest in FinTech trends and can demonstrate their dedication to innovation and diversity.

Including Chief Technology Officers, IT Specialists, Developers and Engineers.

This category is open to women who represent the Tech in FinTech. Maybe you are building new products/services or implementing cutting edge software development/engineering processes in more traditional establishments. We are also looking for women holding executive-level positions focused on improving technology adoption within their organisation.

Including in-house PRs and marketing specialists.

This category is open to women who are communicators in FinTech, be this in the marketing or media or public relations disciplines. We would like applicants to provide examples of how they hone the voice of their organisation, or promote diversity that goes beyond traditional media roles.

Including government, regulators, policy / special advisors and compliance professionals.

Applicants for this category should be regulators, government officials, civil servants and policy advisors who play a vital role in encouraging innovation. We are seeking applicants who are leading the way for greater collaboration between more traditional players in Financial Services and start-ups, or paving the way to encourage more innovators to set up their businesses in the UK. or establishing the foundations for a more diverse industry

International and national hub representatives, NGOs, academia and industry vertical specialists

This new category is open to women who work in international and national hubs or ecosystems; non-governmental organisations; schools, colleges or universities. We are seeking examples from those who go the extra mile to link industry and academia; or who convene a community of FinTech innovators to create a responsible, diverse and inclusive culture.

Innovate Finance’s Women in FinTech Powerlist was designed to celebrate the achievements and talents of women across the FinTech ecosystem and those involved in the innovation and evolution of financial services. The Powerlist especially champions those women who have made a real impact in promoting diversity within FinTech.

The Powerlist features categories in order to showcase the best in class women leading the way in their respective fields and make it easier for women to scan for position-related role models.

To be featured in the Powerlist, we typically ask our judges to take the following criteria into account: 

1. The individual scale of impact

2. Resourcefulness required to overcome challenges (How difficult was it?/ Level of stakeholder engagement to make it happen? / How innovative was the idea?)

3. Leadership/Personal growth demonstrated

To be featured in the Standout 45, we typically ask our judges to also take the following criteria into consideration:

• What has the applicant contributed to the financial innovation/FinTech space?

• What has the applicant done within the wider ecosystem to promote diversity/ women in FinTech?

• To what extent has the applicant disrupted the market/environment in which they operate?

• In what way has the performance of the applicant been outstanding? (Thought leadership? Mentoring? Activities over and above their everyday role).

Successful applicants will be contacted in early Spring with further details on the promotion and distribution of the Powerlist (5 March 2025).

If your job has changed during the application process for the 2024 Powerlist, please email the team at wif@innovatefinance.com to update your details and job description.

There are no costs associated with the application process of the Powerlist.

Please contact Neil Malcolm.

Please, email the team at wif@innovatefinance.com and we will do our best to assist you promptly. Please, reach out to us well in advance of the application deadline (minimum 7 days in advance) as there will be no extension to the deadline.