💫 We're happy to announce the finalists for the Lifetime Achievement Award for 2025!
The Lifetime Achievement Award honors extraordinary leaders whose careers have shaped the global technology landscape over multiple decades. These are women whose influence spans industries, continents, and generations, pioneers who have broken barriers, built enduring systems, elevated thousands of careers, and expanded access to technology for underserved communities worldwide.
The 2025 finalists represent excellence in cybersecurity, government innovation, enterprise transformation, AI leadership, global workforce intelligence, developer experience, and inclusive digital ecosystems. Their legacies are defined not only by groundbreaking achievements but by the leaders they’ve mentored, the opportunities they’ve created, and the impact they continue to drive across the world.
⚡️ Recognized contributions: Influential projects or initiatives, mentorship and leadership roles, advocacy for important tech issues or diversity and inclusion, resilience, and longevity in the field.
Below are this year’s finalists:
⭐ Amy Forsee – Senior Enterprise Architect, State of Missouri
- A 25+ year enterprise architecture leader who established Missouri’s first AI Governance Framework, advanced statewide digital policy, and mentored future technologists across public and private sectors.
⭐ Cheryl Cooper – President | Kansas City Affiliate, Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS)
- A U.S. Navy veteran, cybersecurity professor, and global advocate expanding cybersecurity access for underserved communities and empowering women through nationwide programs, mentorship, and thought leadership.
⭐ Cynthia (Cindy) Stoddard – Global CIO | Digital & AI Transformation Leader | Gen AI Advocate | Board, Adobe
- A globally recognized CIO who modernized Adobe’s digital ecosystem, championed GenAI adoption, launched enterprise innovation hubs, and elevated inclusive leadership across the tech industry.
⭐ Deborah Corwin Scott – Chief Information Officer, Harvard Medical School
- A trailblazing CIO whose decades of leadership transformed IT in higher education and medical research, expanded opportunities for women in tech, and guided institutions through complex digital eras.
⭐ Julie Linn Teigland – EY Global Vice Chair – Alliances & Ecosystems, EY
- An internationally recognized executive championing global alliances, digital parity, and STEM education programs impacting millions of girls and women through technology-focused initiatives.
⭐ Monica Martin – VP of Innovation, Advertising Checking Bureau (ACB)
- A 27-year innovation leader who rose from operations to VP of Innovation, shaping AI adoption, launching ACB’s Innovation Lab, and transforming organizational culture through empathy and technology.
⭐ Pamela Maynard – Chief AI Transformation Officer, MCAPS, Microsoft
- Microsoft’s first Chief AI Transformation Officer and former Avanade CEO, driving global AI adoption, responsible innovation, and inclusive digital transformation across industries.
⭐ Saraswathi Ramachandra – Managing Director & Country Head, Lightcast
- A 25-year AI and analytics leader who built and scaled Lightcast’s Global Capability Center, strengthened global workforce intelligence innovation, and advanced DEI leadership across regions.
⭐ Stella Kislyuk – Global Engineering Leader, Autodesk
- A global engineering leader driving AI-powered developer experience innovation, automating complex support ecosystems, and elevating engineering culture at scale.
These leaders have not only shaped the world of technology, they have also elevated it. Their careers demonstrate courage, innovation, service, inclusion, and a commitment to lifting others as they rose. Their legacies continue to inspire the next generation of women in tech.
🥁 The winners will be announced on December 4 during the Women in Tech Global Awards 2025 ceremony.
🎫 Get your ticket to join the ceremony, get actionable insights from the keynotes, and celebrate the achievements of the outstanding women in tech.