The sixth year of our Bursary programme offered three women complimentary places on our signature Boardroom Journey. Due to the impressive talent demonstrated by the applicants, we added two additional awards of one year’s Full Membership.
We received over 200 applications for our 2024 Bursary Programme. We were really impressed with the determination and passion displayed. Thank you to everyone who took the time to apply.
Congratulations to our 2024 winners: Raheela Rehman, Rona Farley, Sue Adkins, Eoife Huo and Heidi Malaure.
As an industrial R&D engineer within the energy sector, Raheela transitioned into Higher Education, focused on inter-disciplinarity within energy, as well as the Global South. Her aim garners expertise for the transition to a zero-carbon future.
Raheela is a strong advocate for diverse perspectives in leadership. She hopes to gain a deeper understanding of the skills required to be board-ready, to address the global challenges in the energy sector. She sits on several voluntary committees.
Rona is a third-year Psychology student passionate about understanding diverse perspectives and promoting inclusivity. Through her professional experience, she conducted market research on youth opinions and perceptions on topics such as arts, culture, and politics.
Due to a disability, Rona had to forego part-time work to focus on her education. She sees the Bursary as an excellent opportunity to kickstart her career by taking advantage of the courses and networking opportunities offered through the programme.
Sue is the founder and CEO of an organisation that provides strategic advice to businesses and charities on corporate responsibility, sustainability and ESG. With over 25 years of experience, Sue has taken on a number of board, advisory board, and trustee roles.
Sue had to take a career break to care for her father while also becoming self-employed. With our support, Sue hopes to learn how to leverage her extensive experience to refine and deliver her pitch, network with like-minded professionals and ultimately secure NED positions, helping others along the way if she can.
Eoife is a seasoned brand positioning and content marketing professional with 10+ years of experience. She currently serves as the Brand and Investor Relations Lead at a venture capital-backed climate DeepTech spinout from the University of Oxford and leads the Tech London Advocates’ RetailTech working group, championing innovation in UK retail technology.
Last year, she left her 9-5 job to develop a portfolio career that aligns with her passion for nature, arts, and technology. She seeks to contribute her skills and experience to boards committed to meaningful, value-driven change in global business and organisations.
Heidi Malaure is a former COO with almost 30 years of experience in business, politics, and charity. She previously worked as an executive in marketing/management consultancy, recruitment consultancy, and publishing. She has board experience at the local level and is a primary school governor and Chair of the Resources Committee.
Heidi recently retrained and is now working part-time as a teacher and is keen on building her non-executive career, expanding her networks and eventually transitioning into paid NED roles.
Thank you to Sally Bridgeland, Dee Lehane, Rachel Beagles, Vanda Murray, Gaenor Bagley, Bernard Donoghue, Clifton Melvin and Margaret Rice-Jone for waiving their speaker fee for our ‘Becoming an Effective Chair’ programme (Oct & Dec 23, Mar & Jun 24 cohorts) to contribute to our 2024 Bursary Programme.
