International Women's Day: Accelerate Action

A career shaped by curiosity, resilience, and a passion for growth. From humble beginnings as an apprentice to becoming a chemistry graduate and research chemist, Kelly’s journey took an unexpected turn into recruitment. She went on to build the UK’s largest life sciences staffing business (SRG) and later led the STEM Portfolio for Impellam.  After a life-threatening health scare, Kelly made the bold decision to step away from corporate life and into the world of Fractional Executive leadership. Now, she’s on a mission to build a thriving community of seasoned execs—connecting them with SMEs to help them scale, avoid costly pitfalls, and accelerate growth.  Founder of The Fractionals, Kelly is driven by the belief that businesses and expert talent should be able to connect without barriers—creating impact, fast.

Laura Shrieves has been the VP of Engineering for Ultra Maritime since April 2024, prior to that she was Director of Engineering at Thales, leading the digitalization of the UK Transport sector as part of the Ground Transportation Systems (GTS) division. Hailing from a family with a strong engineering background, Laura was inspired by her father and uncle, who served as her early role models.

Her engineering journey began with a BSc in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, followed by an MSc in Human-Centered Computer Systems. Laura embarked on her professional career as a software engineer but later transitioned to systems engineering, a passion that would define her career. Alongside various technical roles within systems engineering, Laura discovered her second passion: nurturing and developing others.

By 2013, Laura had become an industrial supervisor to engineering students at the University of Bristol. In 2014, she further solidified her reputation as a leader in systems engineering by chairing an INCOSE Working Group. Laura’s passion to give back continued in 2015 as she served as the deputy chair of the INCOSE advisory board, solidifying her commitment to the global systems engineering community. In 2022, Laura was recognized for her outstanding contributions, achieving Fellow with both the IET and WES. Laura now serves as a Fellowship assessor at the IET, helping identify and honour rising stars in the field.

Laura ascended through roles of Head of Engineering and now into Engineering Director using all she has learnt to inspire and support all around her. She also serves as the Exec sponsor of the Women and Allies Network within Thales and is part of the RAEng’s Inclusive Leadership Programme proving that her passion for continuous learning and supporting others always burns brightly.

In her personal life, Laura enjoys swimming, traveling, and creating new experiences with her husband Matt and their two young children.

Liza Collins is an NHS Leader, Behaviour Risk Specialist, and Executive Leadership Coach and Mentor with a passion for creating thriving workplace cultures. With over 30 years of experience leading transformation in the NHS, she has dedicated her career to fostering high-performing teams built on psychological safety, valuing people’s contributions, and cultivating a deep sense of belonging.

Liza specialises in supporting emerging leaders, transforming leadership consciousness for the future, embedding true workplace well-being, and tackling bullying and harassment to create healthier leadership cultures. She partners with organisations to build psychologically safe environments where people feel valued, heard, and empowered to speak up.

She also develops leadership courses, writes about workplace culture, and has created free coaching journals for children to support early intervention in bullying prevention. She believes leadership isn’t just about strategy—it’s about people, and when leaders thrive, teams flourish.

Be Kaler Pilgrim, a second-generation British woman from an Indian immigrant family, has built a career by embracing her heritage while forging her own path. Growing up in a patriarchal household as one of 10 siblings, she learned early that understanding one’s roots doesn’t mean being confined by them.

As the founding Director of Futureheads Recruitment, Be has transformed her multicultural background into a professional strength. Since 1996, she has focused on more than just filling roles—she builds meaningful connections and recognizes people’s potential.

Her leadership of a B Corporation reflects her belief that business success and social responsibility can thrive together.