Top 10: Inspirational Black women in the technology industry

10: Natalia Nicholson

With more than two decades of experience as a digital serial entrepreneur, Natalia Nicholson  is open to admitting that she has had her own share of failures. Yet she says: “It is failing that has shown me new ways of operating that have resulted in my current, extremely successful online businesses.” Passionate about technology, digital marketing and diversity, Natalia’s aim is to inspire women and girls from minority groups – especially those from STEM backgrounds –  to promote themselves and become successful, regardless of who they are.

09: Debbie Dickinson

Innovative tech entrepreneur Debbie Dickinson is the founder and CEO of Thermaband, a temperature-regulating wearable with digital insights. The band is discreet, safe and personalised to control and regulate hot flushes. Prior to founding the company, Debbie was an experienced attorney and Lecturer at Wharton MBA with 20+ years history of working in the benefits, law, sales and management communication.

08: Aisha Lawrey

Describing herself as “a forward-thinking experienced professional”, Aisha Lawrey is passionate about the power of connecting people with growth opportunities in STEM through education, evaluation, and support. Through her role of Training and Certification: Head of Global Education Programs at Amazon Web Services Aisha is committed to elevating the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels for any business, university, or organisation.

07: Jacky Wright

As Senior Partner Chief Technology and Platform Officer at McKinsey and Company, Jacky Wright is a global technology leader who has made a broad impact on business transformation and on social issues. She has become an inspirational leader who builds teams to help businesses leverage technology to drive innovation, adopt sustainable and accessible business models, and digitally transform. Prior to this role, Jacky was the Chief Digital Officer and Corporate Vice President of Microsoft.

06: Aisha Bowe

Former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe is now the founder and CEO of STEMBoard, which she bootstrapped into an engineering powerhouse specialising in data analytics and IT modernisation for large enterprises. STEMBoard is now an award-winning firm, recognised in the Inc. 5,000 as one of the fastest-growing companies in America.

Aisha is also a member of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

05: Lakecia Gunter

As a visionary senior engineering executive with 15 years+ of leadership experience, Lakecia Gunter has built a strong track record of leading high-performing teams to deliver results. Lakecia is currently in the role of Vice President, Device Partner Solution Sales at Microsoft and is also a successful transformation leader with depth in technology development, leadership development, and business strategy, who thrives at the intersection of leading-edge technology and new business development.

04: Adanna Igbokwe

Adanna Igbokwe gained experience from Dell and Cisco before moving to Zoom to become an expert specialising in providing solutions for video conferencing and TelePresence. With over 20 years of experience, Adanna is driven by a desire to produce positive change and is a conscientious, creative IT professional, with strong customer-facing, technical, business and sales skills.

03: Michelle Greene

With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Michelle Greene has become a top-performing global business technology professional and strategic thinker. Currently, Michelle is a Chief Information Officer at Cardinal Health, where she is responsible for aligning the IT strategies and initiatives supporting the company. Previously, she was the Vice President of Information Technology at Masco.

02: Elizabeth Theophille

Elizabeth Theophille is Chief Technology Transformation Officer at healthcare giant Novartis. She is a global information technology professional with a strong track record of using technology to transform how the business operates, creating new value and growth. 

In her role at Novartis, she is focused on the implementation of data and digital initiatives in IT and end-to-end operational simplification programmes.

01: Edwige A. Robinson

Through her role as Senior Vice President, Network Engineering, Operations and Transformation at T-Mobile, Edwige Robinson has become well-known in the technology industry as a result-driven leader with an eye for innovation and customer experience. She successfully communicates with diverse stakeholders and fearlessly tackles business challenges to improve efficacy and innovation.