Welcome to part one of our Most Influential Women rundown for 2023. Over the next three days, we will reveal which nominees came through our challenging longlisting and shortlisting processes and emerged triumphant as part of our Top 10 group this year.
We launched this year’s Most Influential Women campaign days after InnovateChange L!VE 2023, the best-attended iteration of the mid-year show on record. Submissions were open across July and August, against the exciting backdrop of the Women’s World Cup. Writing for our all-female InnovateChange L!VE issue of InnovateChange magazine, Christina Thakor-Rankin – co-founder of the All-In Diversity Project and one of InnovateChange ’s Most Influential Women of 2022 – discussed whether operators were taking full advantage of everything the Women’s World Cup had to offer.
After the nominations closed, our esteemed panel met to consider how the nominees had displayed influence across the industry, as well as in their professional lives, over the previous 12 months. This year brought a high standard of nominations – one that left our judges pondering hard on who to place in the final Top 10. Without further ado and in no particular order, here are InnovateChange ’s first four Most Influential Women of 2023.
Victoria Reed
Founder, Better Change
Victoria Reed learned of her nomination at a critical time for organisations such as hers – during Safer Gambling Week. Better Change looks to marry safer gambling with the day-to-day necessities of running a gambling business. So what better time to recognise the woman behind it all? Reed calls her nomination “a true honour”. But outside of her own recognition, she sees being named among InnovateChange ’s Most Influential Women of 2023 as celebrating wider representation for Better Change and sustainable play.
Bahar Alaeddini
Partner, Harris Hagan
Bahar Alaeddini’s motivation for success goes right back to her childhood, where she learned the value of hard work and striving towards your dreams. “Experiencing adversity in my childhood is the thing that motivated me for the simple reason that I wanted a different life than I had been given and more control over my destiny,” she says. “I wanted to make my own choices, starting with studying well in my teens, and would work as hard as I could to have the best opportunities.”
Sarah Gardner
Deputy chief executive, GB Gambling Commission
For Sarah Gardner, being recognised as one of InnovateChange ’s Most Influential Women is an achievement both personally and professionally. “It’s hugely significant for me personally and very humbling because I’ve been honoured to meet some of the women who have received this award in the past and they have all been very impressive indeed,” she says. “However, I also think the award is a reflection of a wider team effort at the Gambling Commission.”
Clemence Dujardin
Group CEO, MyAffiliates
Making InnovateChange ’s Most Influential Women 2023 list holds great significance for Clemence Dujardin. Dujardin believes it’s not uncommon for many women to operate in a default setting, moving forward without pausing to appreciate the journey and accomplishments achieved along the way. “This award serves as a poignant reminder to women everywhere, regardless of their pursuits, to take a moment to reflect on their paths and acknowledge their resilience,” says Dujardin.
