Trustmarque finalists at the CRN Women and Diversity in Channel awards
Building on the success of 2023, the Trustmarque Group is proud to introduce the seven colleague finalists across nine categories in this year’s prestigious CRN Women and Diversity in Channel awards.
In a year when we have launched our DEI network ‘Encircle’, a women’s mentoring scheme and two management programmes aimed at women, it gives us great pleasure to celebrate the lineup below:
- Vivienne Williamson, Trustmarque: Sales Employee of the Year – Solution provider/Reseller
- Asma ZOGHLAMI, Acutest (Part of Trustmarque): Technical Employee of the Year
- Jessica Winfield, Acutest (Part of Trustmarque): Technical Employee of the Year and CRN Woman of the Year 2024
- Emily Pinder, Trustmarque: Rising Star: Reseller/Solution Provider
- Kira S., Trustmarque: Mental Health Champion of the Year and Unsung Hero – Reseller/Solution Provider
- Jazmine Fleet, Trustmarque: Mental Health Champion of the Year
- Carly Madders, Livingstone: Role Model of the Year – Reseller/Solution Provider
Star quality
Back in 2022 when Emily Pinder joined Trustmarque as an Internal Account Manager, little did she know that two years later she would be a finalist for the Rising Star category. Emily has since climbed the ranks to Account Manager, driven by her desire “to do the best I can in all aspects of life to support my family.”
Through adversity as well as being a carer, Emily has overcome these challenges, as Brendan Harte, Corporate Sales Director told the Trustmarque Group sales teams at an internal awards event:
“She balances these pressures and remains dedicated to looking out for her teammates and maintaining a high level of professionalism. Her commitment to her role and her team is evident in her unwavering support and exceptional work ethic. Emily’s contributions are invaluable, and her professionalism sets a high standard for everyone around her.”
Well done, Emily.
Providing a safe space
Mental Health Champion of the Year nominee and Learning and Development Advisor, Kira Squire, has been at the forefront of mental health awareness, well-being and facilitating colleague onboarding since joining Trustmarque in June 2023.
Her lived experience has shaped the person she is today:
“Despite being diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) in 2015, I have shown remarkable resilience while managing challenges both in the workplace and personally. As a certified mental health first aider, I use my compassionate approach and expertise to provide invaluable support to colleagues experiencing mental health issues.”
Kira has also been shortlisted for the Unsung Hero category, which she deserves with her focus being to ‘always being a dependable member of the Group’ with her go-to attitude and flexible approach – she is always on hand to offer support and guidance. She is that and more to so many people at Trustmarque, as well as her fellow actors and committee members in her amateur dramatic society where she currently plays as key role as Vice-Chair alongside being a mother to 14-year-old daughter Evie.
Jazmine Fleet’s journey as a Mental Health First Aider began at the height of the pandemic when mental health challenges surged. Her proactive approach, focusing on supporting colleagues with diverse mental health needs and ensuring businesses provided comprehensive resources, set her apart from other nominees. As Jazmine explains: “I have worked with senior leaders to help shape a culture that is people-focused and making mental health an everyday topic.”
Jazmine believes the significance of these awards lies in shining a spotlight on the vital, often unsung efforts of those advocating for mental health while celebrating progress across the industry.
Technical excellence
Ensuring women are fairly represented in technical and delivery roles in our sector is always a challenge. But it can also be an opportunity as Jessica Winfield, Senior Assurance Consultant, explains: “By excelling in my technical role I can challenge outdated perceptions and pave the way for future generations.”
Nominated for Technical Employee of the Year and Woman of the Year, Jessica is a true activist for change: “By advocating for myself and seeking out organisations that prioritise diversity and inclusion, I have found that I can make a significant difference.” Having successfully delivered technical projects with NHS Wales, Jess is passionate about encouraging young girls to explore STEM fields and sees this as “crucial for bridging the gender gap.”
Keeping a finger on the pulse of innovation is something Asma Zoghlami knows very well. Shortlisted out of hundreds of women as Technical Employee of the Year, Acutest’s Lead Assurance Consultant takes “immense pride in my passion for challenges and innovation.”
With a Ph.D. in computer science, Asma was the obvious choice to guide Acutest’s efforts around Gen AI: “Due to my knowledge, I was asked to prepare a demo to introduce AI concepts to colleagues.”
Covering topics such as AI, machine learning, and the key algorithmic groups within machine learning, led to Asma publishing an article titled “Machine Learning vs. Generative AI,” which was published on our company website. Outside of Acutest, Asma has also contributed to the IEEE conference and submitted a paper on Empathic AI, collaborating with two academics.
LEADing the way
At the Trustmarque Group, we’re committed to breaking down the barriers women face in securing, thriving, and advancing in their careers. By launching our management training programmes, LEAD, and Aspire, we are giving women a space to grow and become future leaders.
One such leader, with a decade at Livingstone under her belt is Carly Madders. It has been a phenomenal year for Carly who stepped up as interim Global Head of Customer Success in the summer and won the Living the Values award at our employee summit, as well as her nomination for Role Model of the Year.
As part of the first LEAD cohort, she epitomises a woman supporting women, and is driven by “ensuring equal opportunities for ladies in tech”.
Carly is a working parent, a leader and well-respected by her team at Livingstone, where she has been able to nurture the careers of other women.
DEI and customer focus
In less than 12 months, Client Director, Vivienne Williamson has made huge strides across the Trustmarque Group. She has raised heightened DEI with an active and pivotal role as the Co-Chair of Encircle (DEI network) and successfully supported many new clients.
Remarking on her year, Viv adds: “I reminded myself that I work best when I am focused on helping and supporting others used my background in DEI to establish links to many colleagues across the group to build up my support network.”
Speaking about her nomination for the Sales Employee of the Year (Reseller), Viv’s tenacity and passion for her clients speaks volumes: “I have always been highly customer focussed, but this year it has become second nature to create safe spaces and community around me.”
It’s no surprise that Viv’s already seen great success in 2024: “This has led to winning considerable services contracts with new clients to deliver IT transformation projects, and having an organisation-wide impact in showcasing how to be inclusive in our everyday interactions.” Encircle has also been shortlisted in the CRN Channel Awards 2024 in the Best DEI Initiative category.
Good luck, all!
It would be easy to say that these are our ‘lucky seven’ but the truth is each of these women has carved their careers and built their developed their skills, through adversity and due to their own outstanding determination.
About the awards
Now in its 7th year, the CRN Women & Diversity in Channel Awards are back for 2024 and aim to champion not only women but also wider diversity within the industry.
The challenge of increasing diversity in tech is now firmly on the agenda across the UK, but it is far from a solved problem. These special awards aim to champion, recognise and celebrate women and diversity in the channel.
