Women in Tech North East (WiTNE), the community interest company championing women and allies across the region’s tech sector, has added three new faces to its board as it looks to expand its activity further across the region.
The organisation has appointed three new non-executive directors: Jo Larby, Jen Taylor, and Laurie Stirling. The new additions have been heavily involved with the organisation for a number of years and will bring invaluable experience and different perspectives to the board’s operations.
Larby, technical product manager at Leighton and accessibility champion, has previously supported WiTNE as a panellist, a host and a co-producer. Taylor, marketing and communications manager at NIHR Innovation Observatory, has championed WiTNE from the very early days. Stirling, meanwhile, brings expertise in operations and business growth through her own consultancy and is a long-time advocate for WiTNE.
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The trio join co-founders and directors Kathryn Wharton and Rachel Pattinson, alongside existing non-executive director Jen Wood, bringing the board to six in total.
Together, the three appointments bring specialist expertise that complements the existing board’s skills, helping to fill gaps, strengthen operations, and make the organisation more sustainable for the long term, all while ensuring the work remains genuinely manageable alongside the personal lives of everyone involved.
The expanded board will allow WiTNE to listen more closely to what the community needs, respond to real challenges, and continue delivering the high-quality, in-person events and workshops together with allies, businesses and organisations who share the same vision.
Co-founder and director of Women in Tech North East Wharton said: “We’ve always said this is a community-led organisation, and these appointments reflect exactly that. Jo, Jen, and Laurie aren’t new to what we do, they’ve been in the room, on the panels, at the events for years. They get it. They bring skills and experience that are going to make us better, more sustainable, and more impactful. We couldn’t be more excited about what we’ll be able to do together.
“With more voices we can create more impact, these additions to our board reflect our ongoing commitment creating more change and more opportunities for women in tech across the North East, and to telling the stories of some of the real role models in our region for younger women considering a role in the tech industry. It’s great to have them officially on board.”
