Celebrating our remarkable women: a year of breaking barriers and driving innovation
News • March 07, 2025 • Written by: Methods • Read time: 6 min
As we mark International Women's Day 2025, we're proud to celebrate the extraordinary achievements of the women who have shaped our organisation's success over the past year. Their accomplishments span technology, leadership, education, and community impact, demonstrating the transformative power of women in technology and consulting.
Award-winning excellence in technology
Our commitment to fostering female talent in technology has been recognised at the highest levels. At the prestigious Midlands Women in Tech Awards, Nukey Proctor earned acclaim for her outstanding Project Delivery leadership, while Helen Dickens was celebrated as a Rising Star. Lauren Tombs achieved finalist status in the Shining Star category, recognition of her exceptional leadership of the Methods Product Team, where she has delivered outstanding results for major government clients including the Department for Transport, HM Land Registry, and the Ministry of Justice.
Championing future tech talent
Hannah Pinnock has demonstrated outstanding leadership and creativity in nurturing the next generation of tech talent. Methods’ collaboration with School of Code saw her design and lead an innovative design sprint to tackle two real life problems for Haringey Council. Recruiting 22 fellow Methods colleagues to support, she led nine bootcamp teams through a week-long design process, which included eight introductory talks about different design disciplines. Hannah and the team helped shape the problem-solving capabilities of 45 emerging tech professionals, garnering enthusiastic praise across LinkedIn.
Strategic leadership and organisational excellence
Karen Nell's strategic vision has led to two significant achievements: securing the prestigious Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award and driving forward our GRAVITATE programme. The latter, shortlisted for the Outstanding Security Performance Awards, showcases our commitment to developing early career talent through comprehensive, tailored support programme’s.
Expanding professional development
Emmy Goldby, Nukey Proctor, and Vian Al-Gailani have transformed our approach to professional development through their innovative HMCTS Masterclasses. Their comprehensive programme, which began with Critical Thinking and expanded to include Communications and Engagement, has achieved remarkable success.
The initiative has reached over 185 participants across 8 sessions, maintaining an exceptional average rating of 4.66/5.00. The programme's impact is evident in its impressive statistics: 97% of participants rated the classes 4+ out of 5, with 100% of respondents praising both the presentation of concepts and the relevance of course content. The programme's Net Promoter Score of +63 demonstrates its outstanding value to participants.
Leading environmental innovation
Suzanne Maxted has emerged as a pioneering force in environmental responsibility, developing and implementing Methods' ground-breaking Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Impact Transparency service. Tested at the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra), this innovative service analyses and assesses programme impacts against the 17 SDGs, transforming how we measure and achieve environmental outcomes. Suzanne's leadership has enabled the development of strategic improvements and quick-win enhancements that drive better social, economic, and environmental outcomes, demonstrating the crucial intersection of technology and sustainability.
Driving business growth and innovation
Venetia Rook’s exceptional leadership has propelled Methods' ServiceNow business to new heights. Her strategic approach and expertise secured our position as the Reseller partner for the UK's largest public sector licensing deal with ServiceNow, while her marketing acumen and collaborative leadership style helped maintain our Elite Consulting and Implementation partner status for 2025.
Championing women in tech at Silicon Roundabout
Spearheaded by Alison Palmer and Gayatri Balasubramanian, our presence at the Women of Silicon Roundabout event at London's ExCeL centre provided a platform for our talented women to share their experiences and insights. Over two inspiring days, they engaged with diverse audiences, breaking down stereotypes and offering valuable guidance to those beginning or transitioning their careers in technology.
Pioneering organisational excellence
Helen Dickens' recognition as a Rising Star is powerfully demonstrated through her transformative work with Methods' Lean Six Sigma practice. Since 2021, she has established Methods' corporate accreditation and developed two comprehensive training courses for both internal and external delivery. Her internal Yellow Belt training programme has achieved remarkable success, with a 95% certification rate and over 60% of relevant colleagues certified by 2024. Through this work, Helen has fostered a company-wide culture of continuous improvement while creating new revenue streams through external training offerings, establishing Methods as a leader in operational excellence.
Building inclusive communities
Sam Peacock has made significant strides in fostering inclusive and collaborative communities at Methods. Together with Vian Al-Gailani, she established the Neurodiversity Community of Interest, creating a supportive space for neurodivergent colleagues to share experiences and strategies for navigating workplace challenges. The monthly sessions provide valuable peer support, from sharing sensory aids to offering accountability partnerships for colleagues with ADHD.
Additionally, Sam's leadership of the Change Management Community of Practice over the past two years has transformed it into a thriving cross-organisational forum. Under her stewardship, this community has become a vital hub for thought leadership, collaborative development of change and communications resources, and peer support for ongoing change initiatives, demonstrating Methods' commitment to both inclusive practices and professional excellence.
Celebrating our BA Academy success stories
Chloe Dowling, Marie-Odile Ete, and Leah-Charlotte Facey have achieved remarkable success as the first cohort of Methods' Junior Business Analysis Academy. Their journey began with an intensive training programme covering Business Analysis modular research, Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt accreditation, BCS certifications, and hands-on experience partnering with public sector customers. Since completing the programme, all three have been promoted to Business Analyst roles, demonstrating both their exceptional talent and the effectiveness of Methods' innovative academy approach.
Driving our ‘Methods for Good’ approach
Emma Clayton-Jory has been working to enhance Methods genuine commitment to protecting and empowering those in need through improved strategies and processes. Her work with the Social Value Committee is changing the way we work with our charity partners, focusing on harnessing our colleagues’ skills to drive real, tangible impact on the ground. By championing stronger commitments in bids, she is ensuring we remain committed to supporting our clients in the most ethical ways, aligning with their causes and communities, with a dedication to making a positive difference in the lives of others. Her work has expanded our partnerships, increased volunteering routes, and continues to provide opportunities to drive social change.
Fostering diversity through meaningful partnership
Jay White, supported by Katie Jackson, has proactively nurtured our partnership with the Windsor Fellowship, a unique charitable organisation that runs innovative development and leadership programmes for those from diverse and under-represented communities. As someone who has benefitted from the programme herself, Jay has passionately connected Methods teams with many young people, enabling us to provide mentors, share career stories, and offer insights into life in a technology workplace. This initiative not only exposes programme participants to the variety of roles available in the technology sector but demonstrates that these positions are accessible to all. Through this partnership, Methods continues to #AccelerateAction toward creating a workplace that is truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive - free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.
Championing technical education for future generations
Liz Whiteley has distinguished herself as a passionate advocate for technical education through her impactful collaboration with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. Using her "Digital Backpack" programme, an interactive workshop supporting applications to apprenticeships career guidance sessions, she has helped students across the region explore and pursue careers in technology, particularly focusing on those from underrepresented backgrounds. Her approach combines practical insights with inspirational guidance, enabling young learners to envision themselves in various technical roles while strengthening the talent pipeline for the regional technology ecosystem.
Championing diversity, equity, and inclusion
Emmy Goldby is Chair to our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Working Group, advising the board on policies and initiatives to foster inclusion and positive change throughout the organisation. The group empowers the collective voices of Methods’ colleagues, and are committed to drive equitable treatment, the celebration of diversity, and the cultivation of a workplace culture where all colleagues can succeed and thrive.
These accomplishments represent more than individual success stories – they demonstrate our organisation's commitment to fostering female leadership and innovation in technology. As we celebrate International Women's Day 2025, we're proud to recognise these remarkable women who continue to push boundaries, mentor others, and shape the future of technology and consulting.
Their achievements inspire us all and set a powerful example for the next generation of women in technology. We look forward to supporting and celebrating more groundbreaking achievements in the years to come.