Meet the 2025 RightBrains Awards nominees!

The RightBrains Awards in collaboration with Computable recognise exceptional female talent and leadership, and incredible male allies, who are driving change within the industry. We are celebrating that the entire industry wins by making the circle bigger together with our community partners. It’s only through strong collaboration and support that we can move the needle.

We are ecstatic to announce this year's nominees, of which the winner will be announced at our annual RightBrains Celebration Event...

Digital Leadership & Diversity Award nominees:

Anka Gajentaan, Transavia

Anka, former Managing Director at Randstad Digital Netherlands and now with Transavia, exemplifies digital leadership by combining strategic decisiveness with empathy and collaboration. Her authentic leadership has improved team performance by 20%, driven by her commitment to diversity and mentoring women in tech. By leading with both strength and care, Anka has created inclusive environments where people thrive — simply by doing, not preaching. An inspiring force in digital transformation.

Sonali Sahgal, Tata Consulting Services

Sonali Sahgal, a senior leader at TCS Europe, has driven digital transformation across key sectors in the Netherlands. Rising from a programming trainee to TCS’s first female Sales Director in the region, she’s broken barriers in male-dominated roles. Known for her resilience, empathy and strategic focus, Sonali leads with purpose and humility. She continues to inspire women in tech, all while unlocking growth and innovation for both clients and her teams.

Angelina Best, Levi9 Technology Services

Angelina Best, CEO of Levi9 Technology Services, leads with a powerful mix of vision, empathy, and decisiveness. Under her guidance, diversity at board level has flourished, with women now in the majority across leadership teams. She actively mentors women in tech, supports inclusive hiring, and fosters a culture of psychological safety and growth. Her human-centred leadership has driven employee satisfaction, attracted top clients, and secured Levi9’s position as a trusted digital partner.

Laura Brandwacht, Rewire

Laura Brandwacht, Partner Data & AI Transformations at Rewire, leads the company’s Data & AI upskilling offering and is the driving force behind the AI Leadership Programme for Women. She actively champions gender diversity and empowers women to thrive in a male-dominated field. By combining high standards with empathy, Laura fosters inclusive leadership. Her programme has boosted female promotion rates and more than doubled the percentage of women hired at Rewire.

Dana Spataru, Deloitte

Dana Spataru, Partner at Deloitte, leads the Cyber Security team with vision, integrity, and impact. She guides clients through complex digital and cyber transformations while championing gender diversity and inclusion. Dana empowers her team with a rare balance of strength and empathy, creating a culture where people thrive. Her leadership has resulted in stronger team performance, innovation, and greater female representation across a highly international, results-driven environment.

Norian Wasch, Eurofiber Group

Norian Wasch, Director of Procurement & ESG at Eurofiber, is a visionary digital leader who unites technology, sustainability, and inclusion. With a calm, values-driven approach, he empowers diverse teams to innovate and grow. Norian leads by example, building a culture of equity, psychological safety, and strategic impact. His ability to balance empathy and structure makes him a role model for future-ready leadership in the digital infrastructure space.

Britt Hoppenbrouwers, Netcompany Nederland

Britt Hoppenbrouwers, Country Managing Partner at Netcompany Nederland, leads with a bold and inclusive vision of digitalisation. She advocates for public-private collaboration and a responsible, people-focused digital future. As a role model for women in tech, she champions diversity, confronts bias, and empowers others through visibility and voice. Under her leadership, the Dutch division achieved 34% revenue growth, driven by diverse leadership, transparency, and smart project execution.

Mel Jacobs, ABN AMRO Bank

Mel Jacobs, Chief Information Officer at ABN AMRO, is a powerful role model for women in tech leadership. She leads with authenticity, warmth, and confidence—staying true to herself while creating space for others to thrive. Mel uses her natural empathy, positivity, and openness to foster connection and inclusion. Her presence alone challenges the norm, proving that success doesn’t require conformity, but courage, character, and clarity of purpose.

Digital Talent Award Nominees:

Emily van Putten, Beleeve

Emily van Putten is a standout digital talent who champions inclusive progress through technology. As a cybersecurity expert and founder of Beleeve, she combines deep technical knowledge with a people-first approach. A passionate mentor and public speaker, she actively drives gender diversity in tech. Emily’s vision, empathy and leadership make her a powerful force for positive change, building safer, more inclusive digital futures where everyone has a seat at the table.

Deborah Esotu, Tata Consultancy Group

Deborah Esotu is the Strategy and Innovation Consultant at Tata Consultancy Group. At a strategic level, Deborah works closely with senior stakeholders and leadership teams to align business priorities with technology and scalable impact. Her ability to identify opportunities and effectively leverage talent and digital technologies leads to improved customer experiences, increased productivity, and tangible value creation.

Lizzie Reeves, Solace

Since joining Solace in 2021, Lizzie Reeves has rapidly progressed from Sales Development Representative to SDR Manager for APAC, UKI, and EMEA. Known for her ambition, empathy, and tech-savviness, Lizzie combines strategic thinking with deep curiosity to simplify complex technologies. She champions diversity by mentoring women and building inclusive teams. Her leadership, adaptability, and resilience make her a standout talent in the digital technology space.

Selen Demir, Android Developer

Selen Demir is an Android Developer, helping build secure, high-performance mobile banking apps. She bridges tech and business through an MBA and is a leader in communities like Women Who Code and Women in Tech Netherlands. As a #IamRemarkable facilitator, she empowers women and nonbinary individuals. Selen combines engineering excellence with inclusive leadership, shaping both innovative products and a more diverse digital industry.

Chantal Stekelenburg, WICCA

Chantal Stekelenburg is a Security Analyst at the Belastingdienst and founder of WICCA (Women in Cybersecurity Community Association). Through events like WICCON, HackerHotel and WHY2025, she actively promotes knowledge sharing and the visibility of female talent in cybersecurity. Chantal leads with empathy, determination and vision. She has grown a community to nearly 1,500 members, creating safe, inspiring spaces where new careers begin. As a digital leader, she shows how to make the sector future-proof and inclusive.

Valentine Couture, WICCA

Valentine Couture is a Staff Security Engineer at GitLab and founder of WICCA, promoting gender diversity in cybersecurity. She co-organises WICCON, an inclusive conference with a predominantly female line-up. Valentine combines technical expertise with authentic, equality-driven leadership, inspiring change without hierarchy. Under her guidance, WICCA grew to 1,500 members, helping many women enter cybersecurity and advising organisations on inclusive hiring, significantly boosting diversity and innovation in the digital sector.

Eline Schuurs, Storyteq

Eline leads the Amsterdam project management team, bridging clients, tech, and customer success. She excels in translating business needs into tech solutions while coaching her team. Decisive and empathetic, Eline creates a safe, inclusive environment where diverse perspectives thrive. She transformed her department from reactive operations to a commercially growing service centre, driving team growth and individual development—an inspiring role model in a male-dominated digital field.

Deepa John, Storyteq

Deepa leads Business & Customer Success in Amsterdam, overseeing Enterprise client onboarding and driving digital adoption. She connects strategy, service, and tech to grow Storyteq’s Creative Automation product. Deepa is a decisive, energetic leader who inspires her team and bridges client needs with technology. She fosters an inclusive culture, empowering women in a male-dominated industry. Deepa transformed her team by adding account directors, enabling growth and scaling clients and talent in a complex, fast-paced environment.

Mathilde Lemang, WIQD & QphoX

Mathilde leads integration at QphoX and chairs the We in Quantum Development (WIQD) Advisory Board. She has driven WIQD’s shift to a more inclusive vision, fostering community, collaboration, and cross-startup engagement in the quantum ecosystem. Mathilde’s resilience and emotional intelligence allow her to connect diverse people and champion inclusion in a male-dominated field. She has transformed QphoX’s culture through inclusive hiring and open team environments, attracting diverse talent and strengthening equity across the quantum community.

Public voting is now closed. Register now for our event on 6 November and join us in celebration and support of these formidable nominees.