A massive congratulations to all the winners of this year’s Women in Treasury & Finance Awards. It’s difficult to overstate the achievements of our 2026 cohort, whose careers are testimony to the innovation, dedication and leadership shaping treasury and finance, and showcase the impact women make across the profession. From standout initiatives and exceptional career accomplishments, every award highlights their passion, resilience and expertise.
Woman of the Year
Women like Annapoorna Venkataramanan, Head of Treasury at ArcelorMittal who scoops our Woman of the Year APAC award in recognition of her wide-ranging treasury skills, industry recognition within India and reputation for sponsoring younger talent in a career trajectory that embodies resilience in the male-dominated steel and finance sectors. Highly Commended goes to Isha Goel, Head – Treasury Settlements APAC at Mercedes-Benz Research & Development India in recognition of her climb to the top of her profession from a starting point of being the only woman in her respective finance and treasury team for 14 years.
In EMEA, our Woman of the Year award goes to Carol Thurnheer, Senior Manager International Treasury at Haleon plc. Carol has repositioned treasury as a strategic driver of value within Haleon, most recently overseeing a multi-year working capital optimisation programme. Our other EMEA winners in this category include Lorena Sandroni, Group Treasurer at TMF Group and Lucia Galán Cáceres, Head of Group Treasury at ON.
In the Americas our Woman of the Year award goes to Jessica Oku, Treasurer at AGLC. Our award singles out Jessica’s work to reposition treasury as a strategic function within organisations, focusing on liquidity, capital allocation, risk management and long-term financial sustainability, as well as her work mentoring and coaching others. The Highly Commended award goes to Amanda Bauer, Controller at Gritman Medical Centre.
Champion of Change
Lucia Ma, Group Treasurer & Inventory Controller at Klook Travel Technology has scooped this year’s APAC’s Champion of Change in celebration of her rise from a part-time social media editor in 2014 to joining the corporate finance and treasury function where she has led on projects including inventory management, FX policy and tech innovation. The Highly Commended award in this category goes to Shuya Komiyama, Group Treasurer at Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation.
Marianna Polykrati, Group Treasurer at Avramar Aquaculture wins Champion of Change, EMEA in recognition of her role steering the company out of a period of financial distress and operational uncertainty. Her exceptional determination, resilience and leadership transformed the treasury function from a largely informal structure into a fully organised and operational department. Our Highly Commended prize goes to Joanna Fanthorpe, Senior Treasury Manager at Save the Children International who has led the internal DEI initiative SAFER, focused on supporting LGBTQ+ colleagues and allies, helping to normalise conversations around inclusion, safety and belonging in an approach that is collaborative and deeply human. This award also recognises Khaloud Al Hammadi, Director Treasury at Abu Dhabi Ports in recognition of her efforts to increase female representation in Middle Eastern finance.
Champion of Change for The Americas goes to the irrepressible Summa Simmons, Associate Vice President, Treasury at Victoria’s Secret & Co. Summa’s inspiring leadership extends far beyond her role to her reputation for fostering a culture of inclusion and collaboration within the organisation defined by her emotional intelligence, team wellbeing and purposeful leadership. The Highly Commended accolade goes to Tai Carr Fraser, Vice President, Treasurer at Capri where she exemplifies the modern corporate treasurer: strategic, change driven, people centred and purpose led. She pairs operational excellence with authentic leadership — someone who has earned her seat through discipline, resilience and a clear commitment to building others up, especially women navigating demanding leadership environments.
Leading Light
Our 2026 hall of fame includes Manoj S Bhatia, Managing Director – Global Head of Subsidiary Banking at MUFG in our APAC Leading Light category. For EMEA the awards go to Mallika Mathur, Co-Founder & CEO at Koaloo.FI, an ESG-focused fintech that has transformed the way companies approach sustainable finance and Lisa Dukes, Co-Founder & Director at advisory firm Dukes & King from where she has developed an industry reputation, trusted by corporate treasurers and C-suites for transforming how organisations understand, govern and manage treasury, corporate finance and financial risk. Under her leadership, the firm has introduced innovative, bespoke solutions that elevate treasury from a transactional function to a strategic engine of resilience, good governance and long-term value creation.
The Americas Leading Light award goes to Annie Seelaus, CEO at R. Seelaus & Co. She has built a C-suite that is 75% women, creating a powerful, results-driven model for gender equity and transformed Seelaus into the #1 women owned broker dealer according to Bloomberg wallet share. Her leadership demonstrates that diverse perspectives and inclusive cultures don’t just meet DEI mandates, they deliver superior outcomes. Annie inspires others to see diversity as a strategic advantage rather than a requirement. Her influence extends far beyond her organisation, making her a genuine champion of lasting, positive change, and one of the most inspirational and impactful leaders in the industry today. The Highly Commended award goes to Manish Kohli, Global Head of Liquidity and Cash Management at HSBC.
The achievements of these remarkable individuals will be celebrated at our regional forums in Singapore on 9th July, London on 11th September and New York on 8th October. Full case studies on each of our 2026 winners will also be available shortly.
