Including CEOs, CFOs, Founders and Executive Team Members.

We are seeking applications from women who hold a C-Level position (CEOs, CFOs, Founders etc) and are driving forward change within the financial innovation space. We want to hear about your achievements in building diverse teams, inspiring the next generation, mentoring inside and outside the workplace or lobbying for policy change to make a difference.

Excluding CEO, Founders and ExCo.

We are looking for newbies and returnees (no more than three years of experience in the sector) who are taking the FinTech and financial innovation space by storm. You should provide concrete examples on how you have hit the ground running and have promoted inclusion and diversity in your organisation beyond your job description. People applying to this category cannot be in a senior management position (CEOs, Department Heads, etc).

Including VCs, Angel Investors and Accelerators.

We are looking for submissions from women playing a role in changing the current funding environment for women founders and entrepreneurs. We would like examples on how you encourage investment opportunities for women founders, how to bring onboard male colleagues to do the same and details on the initiatives you have spearheaded to encourage/educate women to take the plunge into entrepreneurship, or investment.

Including HR & Recruitment, Legal, Accountancy, Banking, Business, Consultancy.

This category is open to women who work within the professional services and financial services space. We are seeking examples from inhouse specialists, who are the go-to for the latest in FinTech trends and can demonstrate their dedication to innovation and diversity.

Including Chief Technology Officers, IT Specialists, Developers and Engineers.

This category is open to women who represent the Tech in FinTech. Maybe you are building new products/services or implementing cutting edge software development/engineering processes in more traditional establishments. We are also looking for women holding executive-level positions focused on improving technology adoption within their organisation and the promotion of women in careers in tech.

Including in-house PRs and marketing specialists.

This category is open to women who are communicators in FinTech, be this in the marketing or media or public relations disciplines. We would like applicants to provide examples of how they hone the voice of their organisation, or promote diversity that goes beyond traditional media roles.

Including government, regulators, policy / special advisors and compliance professionals.

Applicants for this category should be regulators, government officials, civil servants and policy advisors who play a vital role in encouraging innovation and diversity in the Financial Sector. We are seeking applicants who are leading the way for greater collaboration between more traditional players in Financial Services and start-ups, or paving the way to encourage more innovators to set up their businesses in the UK.

International and National Hub Representatives, NGOs, Academia and Industry Vertical Specialists.

This category is open to women who work in international and national hubs or ecosystems; non-governmental organisations; schools, colleges or universities. We are seeking examples from those who strive to link industry and academia; influence decision makers with evidence-based research to promote more diversity in the industry, or who convene a community of FinTech innovators to create a responsible, diverse and inclusive culture.

Innovate Finance’s Women in FinTech Powerlist was designed to celebrate the achievements and talents of women across the FinTech ecosystem and those involved in the innovation and evolution of financial services. The Powerlist especially champions those women who have made a real impact in promoting diversity within FinTech.

The Powerlist features categories in order to showcase the best in class women leading the way in their respective fields and make it easier for women to scan for position-related role models.

Women applying to the Powerlist are expected to adhere to the following criteria: 

1. They have worked in FinTech or a FinTech-related field for a minimum of at least 12 months

2. They have made some key contributions to their organisation or the FinTech space in the past 12 months and to be able to provide us with brief examples of these (thought leadership, mentoring, etc.)

To be featured in the Standout 45, we typically ask our judges to also take the following criteria into consideration:

• What has the applicant contributed to the financial innovation/FinTech space?

• What has the applicant done within the wider ecosystem to promote diversity / women in FinTech?

• To what extent has the applicant disrupted the market/environment in which they operate?

• In what way has the performance of the applicant been outstanding? (Thought leadership / Mentoring / Activities over and above their everyday role / etc.).

To be featured in the Powerlist, we typically ask our judges to take the following criteria into account:

• The individual scale of impact

• Resourcefulness required to overcome challenges (How difficult was it?/ Level of stakeholder engagement to make it happen? / How innovative was the idea?)

• Leadership/Personal growth demonstrated

Successful applicants will be contacted on 4th March, 2026. Unfortunately, due to the volume of applications, we are unable to inform all those who have been unsuccessful.

If your job has changed during the application process for the 2025 Powerlist, please email the team at wif@innovatefinance.com to update your details and job description.

There are no costs associated with the application process of the Powerlist.

Yes, only applications in English will be considered.

No. Applications are complete only when all the required information has been provided. The headshot is one of the requirements so please, make sure you upload the corresponding high resolution headshot to the application before you submit as otherwise, it will not be complete and thus it will not be taken into consideration.

Please contact us here.

Please, email the team at wif@innovatefinance.com and we will do our best to assist you promptly. Please, reach out to us well in advance of the application deadline (minimum 7 days in advance) as there will be no extension to the deadline.

This link will provide an overview of the information requested in the application form.