As the year draws to a close, I’ve found myself reflecting on just how many women have helped move tech – and our expectations of it – forward this year.

At giffgaff, Natalie Cutten, Product Director, led the launch of giffgaff’s broadband proposition – a huge milestone that showed what happens when strong product leadership, customer focus and execution come together. It’s the kind of work that doesn’t always get the loudest shout out, but fundamentally changes how people experience tech day to day.

And while Kate Dohaney has only just started this month in her role as CEO of giffgaff, it already feels like an exciting moment. This is very much the beginning, and I’m genuinely looking forward to seeing her bring thoughtful, confident leadership to the next chapter – setting direction, backing great people and continuing to modernise how tech-led businesses show up.

Beyond giffgaff, women across the UK tech scene have been making serious moves:

• Anne Boden (UK) challenged the traditional banking system by founding Starling Bank, proving that fintech can be built with long-term vision and trust at its core.
• Eileen Burbidge has been instrumental in shaping the UK startup ecosystem — as a founder, investor and former UK Government Digital Champion.
• Martha Lane Fox continues to champion digital inclusion, reminding us that access to technology is just as important as innovation itself.
• Erika Brodnock has been a powerful voice for diversity in tech and entrepreneurship, pushing for fairer access to funding and opportunity.

Further afield, US leaders have continued to set global benchmarks:

• Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder of Bumble, reshaped online dating by putting women in control of the first move.
• Fei-Fei Li has led the global conversation on ethical AI, ensuring innovation stays rooted in humanity.
• Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code, continues to open doors for the next generation of technologists.
• Gwynne Shotwell, President of SpaceX, keeps turning ambitious space exploration into operational reality.

And then there was space – one of this year’s most talked-about and symbolic moments.

In April, Katy Perry joined an all-female crew aboard Blue Origin, alongside Gayle King, Lauren Sánchez, Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyen and Kerianne Flynn. The 11-minute suborbital flight crossed the boundary of space, delivered moments of weightlessness, and sparked both excitement and backlash. Perry later spoke openly about feeling “battered and bruised” by online criticism.

But here’s the thing: it was brave. It was visible. And it mattered.

This wasn’t a thrill ride. It was six women – engineers, scientists, journalists and creatives – showing that space, science and exploration are not reserved for one narrow definition of who belongs. Say what you will about the stunt, going up there is not your standard rollercoaster, and the message it sent was powerful.

That sense of possibility is something I want to pass on – which is why these books will be in my daughter’s Christmas present pile (alongside the Stanley Quencher H2.0 FlowState Tumbler she’s been so specific about, the Nike tracksuit, the Angel perfume from Zara…): 

• Queen of Physics: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom
  A beautiful tribute to a nuclear physicist whose experiments reshaped modern physics, even when recognition lagged behind her brilliance.
• Hidden Figures 
  The inspiring story of the Black women mathematicians at NASA whose calculations helped send astronauts into orbit.
• Girls Think of Everything
  A collection of stories about women inventors who spotted problems and fixed them with ingenuity and grit.

All incredible books. All shining a light on women who did astonishing things – and reminding the next generation that they can too.

So as we sign off on the year, I’m grateful for the women building networks, launching rockets, leading companies and inspiring little eyes to look up.

Here’s to momentum, curiosity and being brave enough to see where women lead next.