Computer Science alumna celebrated with best female tech talent at TechWomen100 awards

Tech innovator Sanaz Yeganefard has been highlighted for her dynamic impact in industry through a TechWomen100 award.

Sanaz, a former Computer Science student at the University of Southampton, was recognised as one of 100 successful women who are excelling across the UK in tech roles.

She was presented the award in a ceremony hosted by BBC reporter Kate Russell at the etc.venues County Hall in London on Thursday 31st January.

Sanaz completed an MSc in Software Engineering at Southampton in 2009 before developing mathematical modelling techniques for automotive control systems through a PhD in the current Cyber Physical Systems research group.

She has since designed and developed systems for top UK banks, building societies and retailers which have improved the customer experience as well as business productivity and lowered costs.

Sanaz said: “I’m thrilled and honoured to be recognised for a TechWomen100 award. The tech industry needs diversity of skillset and mindset as technology touches everyone’s life. I’m even more determined than before to support others in their journey of a tech career.”

This winter’s TechWomen100 awards continued the momentum from the TechWomen50 series, which was launched in 2017. This time out of 500 nominees 200 were shortlisted. Over 30,000 public votes were received for the shortlisted nominees that were then put to a judging panel to compile the TechWomen100 winners.

Speakers at the London ceremony included Dayne Turbitt, Senior Vice President of Dell UK, who praised the emerging talent and called for more women to put themselves forward for tech roles. Sanaz spent four years at IBM after completing her PhD at Southampton and is now based at Santander Head Office where she works as a Technology Innovation Manager.

Her Cloud, Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain solutions over the past six years have included one of the UK’s first banking chatbots and software that can find outfits on a website that match images on Pinterest. More recently, she is exploring the application of Blockchain in digital identity to empower and enable customers to own and manage their identity data.