Celebrating Europe's Very Best Women in Technology

On Monday I was in Brussels, representing FreeBalance at the WOMEN IN TECH ® Europe Awards. The partnership between the organisations is one I'm proud to have deliver over the second half of 2025 and it was fantastic to experience the fruits of this in person!

It was a privilege to be given the opportunity to address this prestigious audience and deliver a speech on the important role of women in tech diplomacy. Women are leading the way in uniting communities, governments and countries through the power of technology, and this was a fantastic opportunity to recognise this work.

My speech culminated in announcing the winner of the Tech Diplomacy Award. Sadly winner Henna Virkkunen (Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, European Commission) was unable to join the event, but it was lovely to share the stage with Renate Nikolay (Deputy Director-General at European Commission) who accepted the award on Henna's behalf.

Renate Nikolay (left) and Carolyn Bowick (right) at the Women in Tech Europe Awards.

As several of the winners across categories noted, being a woman and working in technology can be challenging. Layer on being a female founder and it becomes even more complex.

I was genuinely inspired by everyone I met in Brussels - especially as it was a gathering of experts across all disciplines from software development to entrepreneurship to cybersecurity. And it was wonderful to be back on a stage again talking about a topic I believe so heartily in.