Forward Women: speakers
Katie Allanson, YouTube chef at Katie Pix, and social media manager, The Jamie Oliver Group
Katie Allanson. Photograph: Joe Sarah
Katie Allanson is an leading expert on formulating and implementing strategies for UK-born brands on Social Media, bringing them closer to the global consumer and giving each of her clients their own unique personality.
She also has her own successful YouTube cookery videos Katie Pix - now part of the Jamie Oliver’s Food Tube. She is a hashtagger, pun conjurer and buzz feeder and a multi-linguist of all things social, speaker of fluent geek, marketer, writer, designer, campaigner, app builder, strategist and Joe public.
Gemma Cairney, Radio 1 DJ
Gemma Cairney. Photograph: PR
After a brief go at drama school and a stint working in fashion in her early 20s, Gemma is now a BBC broadcaster, magpie and life enthusiast who has won awards for making documentaries on subjects such as young people in violent relationships. She presents BBC Radio 1’s social action show The Surgery, she also likes to write, explore the planet, trek mountains and DJ garage classics.
Lucy Emptage, eFX trader, RBS
Lucy Emptage. Photograph: PR
Lucy is an eFX (electronic foreign exchange) trader at RBS. She joined as a graduate in 2013 after completing a spring week and a summer internship at RBS. Lucy is now a fully-fledged member of the desk having received early promotion just a few weeks ago, and participates in everything RBS has to offer – from leading the RBS graduate recruitment council, to organising networking and learning events for new graduates, to mentoring and even trying her hand at building playgrounds for disadvantaged children as part of the bank’s CSR initiatives.
Katie Herridge, Saville Consulting
Katie Herridge Photograph: PR
Being part of Saville Consulting since its inception in 2004, Katie has influenced several key areas of the business. Initially contributing to the development of the flagship Wave Personality questionnaire, Katie now advises organisations on their selection and development needs and early careers marketing research and content. Graduating with a master’s in occupational psychology from the University of Westminster, Katie is a passionate ambassador for Saville Consulting’s vision of transforming talent assessment around the world. Outside of her professional career, Katie is vice chair for FOJO (Friends of Jersey Oncology), leading on their fundraising efforts, event organisation and management.
Carrie Osman, chief provocateur, Cruxy & Co and co-founder, Mad Brands
Carrie Osman. Photograph: PR

Carrie is an entrepreneur who has founded Cruxy & Co and co-founded Mad Brands. Carrie started both businesses after gaining over 10 years of marketing experience having worked for entrepreneurs. She then went on to join Mars on their fast track management programme and worked in brand management for almost eight years. Her passion for business and branding saw her named as one of Marketing Magazine’s 30 under 30. In November 2013 Carrie decided it was time to make her own mark and created Cruxy & Co, a challenging consultancy that repositions businesses in tech, fintech and finance. Carrie’s latest venture is Mad Brands which she co-founded with Mark Curry.
Lily Pebbles, beauty blogger
Lily Pebbles. Photograph: PR
Lily Pebbles started her blog during her university course, but the rising star’s website, as well as her popular YouTube channel, have catapulted her into success in recent years, allowing her to make full-time blogging a career. Her eye for photography, creative content and honest opinion has seen her following soar with over 300,000 subscribers. Mainly specialising in beauty and lifestyle, she is arguably one of the most influential women digitally within this sector.
Billie JD Porter, TV presenter, BBC Three
Billie JD Porter. Photograph: Olivia Richardson/Motel Rocks
Billie is the 23-year-old presenter of new BBC documentary series Secrets of China, whose big TV break came in 2011 with Channel 4’s Joy of Teen Sex, for which she acted as a roving reporter, delving into teens’ bedroom antics. She also made BBC Three’s Secrets of South America, in which she explored the culture of South America through attitudes to sex, money and beauty.
Alison Rose, CEO, commercial & private banking, RBS
Alison Rose. Photograph: PR
Alison Rose heads the commercial & private banking business for RBS and was appointed to the executive committee on 27 February 2014.
She has worked with the bank for over 20 years, most recently as head of EMEA, markets and international banking, and head of international banking, EMEA, where she was responsible for the Europe, Middle East and Africa business, including client relationship management across the region.Her previous roles with RBS include head of EMEA corporate coverage & client management, head of non–investment grade origination and head of leveraged finance for the UK andEurope.
She is a passionate supporter of diversity and until recently was executive sponsor of diversity & inclusion for markets and international Banking.
Mair Rowlands, Vale of Clwyd parliamentary candidate 2015, Plaid Cymru - the Party of Wales
Mair Rowlands. Photograph: PR
Twenty six year old Mair Rowlands is a Welsh politician. She started out in student politics and then was elected as a county councillor for Gwynedd council in north Wales in May 2012 at the age of 23. In November 2014 she was appointed as a cabinet member with responsibility for children and young people and leisure. She is very passionate about ensuring that young people’s voices are heard in politics and she was shortlisted for the UK Young Councillor of the Year Achievement Awards earlier this year. She stood as a parliamentary candidate in the 2015 general election for Plaid Cymru/the Party of Wales, and was the youngest candidate to represent the party in the election.
Perri Shakes-Drayton, Olympic athlete
Perri Shakes-Drayton. Photograph: Mark Dadswell/Getty Images
With an infectious personality and a smile from ear-to-ear, Perri Shakes-Drayton, also known as PSD, was born in east London and raised in Bow, a stone’s throw away from the Olympic Park. The only British athlete to simultaneously be the national champion in both the 400m and the 400m hurdles, PSD is a 5 time national champion, double European indoor champion and world indoor champion. With a cluster of other medals credited to her, PSD was on course to be crowned World Champion in 2013 having won her semi-final with ease before she was cruelly struck with a serious knee injury in the final causing her to gallantly finish the race in a disappointing 7th place but moreover, forced her to miss the entire 2014 season.
Now very much on the road to recovery, PSD will be using these disappointments as extra motivation going into the Rio Olympics as she will again be one of the favourites for a gold medal.
Samantha Shannon, author, The Bone Season
Samantha Shannon. Photograph: Mark Pringle
Samantha Shannon was born in west London in 1991. She started writing at the age of fifteen. Between 2010 and 2013 she studied English Language and Literature at St Anne’s College, Oxford. In 2013 she published The Bone Season, the first in a seven book series. The Bone Season was a New York Times, a Sunday Times and an Asian Age bestseller, was picked as a Book of the Year by the Daily Mail, Stylist and Huffington Post and was named one of Amazon’s 2013 Best Books of the Year. It has been translated into twenty-eight languages and the film rights have been acquired by The Imaginarium Studios and 20th Century Fox. In 2014, Samantha Shannon was included on the Evening Standard’s Power 1000 list. The Mime Order is her second novel.
Naomi Shimada, model
Naomi Shimaga. Photograph: Mike McGregor
Born in Japan and subsequently raised all around the world. Model, advocate and tv host she currently splits her time between London and New York. This Observer cover girl is reinforcing the importance of community and making healthy body image & self love her fight.
Nina Smith and Libby Northedge, Twisted Loaf
Twisted Loaf. Photograph: Rosie Collins
Twisted Loaf won the Funny Women Awards 2013. Twisted Loaf are blisteringly funny idiots. Brash, bold and completely bonkers. Libby Northedge and Nina Smith have honed their individual skills in acting, comedy improvisation and clowning to create their own unique style, which is darkly comic and highly physical.
Vanessa Vallely, managing director, WeAreTheCity
Vanessa Vallely. Photograph: PR
Vanessa is a recognised expert in person-to-person business networking and online branding, and is a sought-after motivational speaker. In 2014, Vanessa was cited as one of the top 100 Connected Women in the UK by GQ magazine and in 2015, she was listed as one of the top 1000 most influential Londoners by the Evening Standard.
Vanessa is passionate about sharing her experience and know-how with others and has delivered keynotes for over 150 companies in Europe, the US, India and the Middle East.
Vanessa’s corporate experience stems from a 25-year career in banking and finance, holding senior positions such as chief operating officer and global head of governance and business management.
Lineup may be subject to change