Our Board

The Officers and Board members are elected by the membership to lead and guide the development of IWF UK, focusing on key areas such as membership, events, communication, international links, and support for next generation leaders. All officers and Board members are Directors of IWF UK Ltd.

The Board meets six times a year and holds its AGM in July.

The Chair, Company Secretary, Treasurer and other Board members serve renewable two-year terms.

Annabel Tagoe-Bannerman
Company Secretary VeryConnect Company Secretary VeryConnect

Annabel Tagoe-Bannerman

Annabel is a lawyer and a Fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland.  Annabel is an experienced Group General Counsel and Company Secretary of over two decades working in FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 companies across many sectors.

Annabel is an independent Non-Executive Director of Edinburgh Investment Trust Plc.

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Rachel Sexton
Treasurer VeryConnect Treasurer VeryConnect

Rachel Sexton

Rachel is a portfolio NED and holds roles in the financial services and government sectors. She is a qualified accountant and was previously a partner at EY. She is the Treasurer for IWF UK and also sits on the boards of two other charities: the Fraud Advisory Panel and WWF-UK (Wildlife Fund for Nature).

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Ali Kennedy
VeryConnect VeryConnect

Ali Kennedy

Finance leader with strong fiscal policy expertise in a large listed defence manufacturing business, with experience influencing government thinking on tax and economic policy. Audit committee and pension fund chair, and champion of technological progress and women’s leadership in AI and digital intelligence.

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Carol Graham
VeryConnect VeryConnect

Carol Graham

Carol Graham has enjoyed a distinguished career in international education spanning several decades and countries. She was the first woman Executive Director of the US UK Fulbright Commission.  She is  currently Chair of the Sturgeon Foundation. Carol has served on many boards including as Vice Chair of Carnegie UK Trust. Her first career was in the US Diplomatic Service based mainly in the Middle East and Europe.

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Jenny Burns

Jenny Burns

With a career of spanning almost 30 years Jenny is a trailblazer and changemaker having held several senior positions in numerous global companies across multiple sectors. Today, her broad industry experience is put to good use running her own innovation and design business that aims to design better future by solving the world's biggest problems.

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Lara Leigh-Wood
Co-Chair of Programme Committee VeryConnect Co-Chair of Programme Committee VeryConnect

Lara Leigh-Wood

As Global Director Business Development at Chapel & York, and also in her role as the Founding Managing Director, Beacon Gainer Group, Lara is respected by clients for her strategic thinking, commercial management, team and relationship skills which develop broad successful commercial collaborations, sustaining networks of high value opportunities.

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Monika Biddulph
VeryConnect VeryConnect

Monika Biddulph

Monika has a wide range of experience in both the commercial and technical aspects of international technology businesses, including general management, IP licensing, marketing and technology roles.

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