This year, we have recognised winners across EMEA, APAC and The Americas in three exciting categories: Woman of the Year, Within Champion of Change and new for 2025, Leading Light.
All winners will be invited to join our Women in Treasury & Finance Forums to celebrate their achievements (forum invitation will depend on winners’ location):
Treasury Today’s Woman of the Year award is designed to recognise women who demonstrate real innovation and achievement, while acting as a role model to others. This year’s overall winner of Woman of the Year – The Americas is a highly experienced treasury professional who does exactly that: Sandra Ramos-Alves, Senior Vice President and Treasurer at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS).
Jennifer Doherty is responsible for driving large scale change programmes and strategy to enable the sustainable growth and development of Standard Chartered’s trade finance, payments, working capital and liquidity management business. She is this year’s winner of Leading Light APAC for her celebrated role helping other women succeed and for bringing out the best in her team.
This year’s overall winner for Leading Light EMEA is Melissa Di Donato, Chair and CEO at Kyriba, a provider of cloud-based treasury and finance solutions. As CEO of Kyriba, Melissa has achieved impressive business growth and attracted significant investments.
Vinita Nair is this year’s Champion of Change Overall Winner for Asia Pacific. This category recognises individuals who demonstrate a real commitment to challenging the status quo, breaking down barriers and changing their organisations from within.
Lata Gullapalli is this year’s winner of our Champion of Change, EMEA award. Lata supports rural entrepreneurs in developing countries to achieve their full potential. She leverages over 25-years of experience in finance in roles in South Asia, Russia and the UK to support rural economic activity and social mobility in developing countries, drawing on her experience in M&A particularly.
Nicola Bates, President and CEO at Siemens Capital Company is this year’s winner of Champion of Change, The Americas. Nicola’s visionary leadership has redefined the way treasury operates at Siemens. By integrating automation, blockchain, AI and data analytics, she has proven that treasury is no longer just about risk management and liquidity but spans business enablement and strategic foresight too. Nicola has also played a pivotal role improving diverse talent in key decision-making roles, and nurtured greater collaboration across teams and regions.
This year’s Highly Commended Winner for Woman of the Year EMEA is Nora Naadu Sena, Regional Treasurer at the Nestlé Treasury Centre – Middle East & Africa Limited covering Africa, Middle East, Pakistan and Turkey. In addition to a 19-year career in treasury, financial accounting, reporting and financial management, Nora is praised for her dedication to nurturing new and diverse talent on the corporate treasury career path.
Akanksha Sindwani, Deputy Vice President of RBL Bank in India, is this year’s Highly Commended Winner for Leading Light Asia Pacific. Following a philosophy of learning, consistent movement and prioritising outcomes not outputs, has seen Akanksha grow from “a little girl confused standing in a crowd struggling to find her place to a well-established lady”, after 13 years.
Our new Leading Light category recognises individuals who play a pivotal role in progressing equity and inclusion and is open to individuals from organisations that serve the corporate treasury community. Atta Barlas, the Highly Commended Winner in EMEA, has worked for Bank of America since 2017, when he joined the bank from Wells Fargo. In his current role, he partners with global coverage teams to provide tailored treasury solutions to corporate clients.
This year’s Highly Commended award for Leading Light the Americas has been won by Debopama (Debo) Sen, Head of Payments, Services, Citi. Debo’s 29-year career at Citi exemplifies hard work, innovative thinking and a compassionate and inclusive management. She is resilient and driven but still always finds the time to collaborate with and support her teammates, epitomising the value of calm, balanced and thoughtful leadership in financial services.
Lori Schwartz’s career is distinguished by leadership roles and transformative contributions across the financial services industry. At J.P. Morgan Payments, where she serves on the business’s operating committee, and formerly at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, she has consistently driven innovation, enhanced business performance and led initiatives that have redefined treasury management solutions.
Royston Da Costa was named highly commended winner in this year’s Champion of Change category for EMEA – a category which recognises individuals who demonstrate a real commitment to challenging the status quo.
