The Princess Royal’s WISE lifetime achievement award

Lucy Rogers
Independent Engineer and Author

“In 1989, I went on a WISE ‘Insight into Engineering’ course at Newcastle University. It changed my life. It helped me decide to study engineering, and the factory tour directly led to me becoming a sponsored student on that company’s graduate training scheme.

I know first-hand what a difference those opportunities can make, so throughout my career I have tried to 'pay it forward' whenever I could. WISE has done so much to champion women in STEM, and I am delighted to be a finalist for The Princess Royal’s WISE Lifetime Achievement Award. It means a great deal to have this recognised.”

Dr Lucy Rogers MBE FREng is a multidisciplinary engineer whose career spans research, industry and public engagement. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and awarded an MBE for Services to Engineering in recognition of her contributions to the field. She is also a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and an Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Engineering Designers.

Her work focuses on translating complex engineering into practical applications and accessible narratives, enabling impact across technical and public domains. She is widely recognised for her role as a judge on BBC2’s Robot Wars and for her extensive media work, bringing engineering into mainstream culture.

Alongside this, she has founded and supported communities that enable wider participation in STEM, and has contributed to judging, advisory and educational roles that shape how engineering is recognised and applied. She has taught in the UK and internationally, including as an Erskine Fellow in New Zealand, and is currently conducting research on ‘Engineering in Extreme Environments’ with the Institute for Manufacturing, Cambridge University 

Her career is defined by expanding how engineering is understood and who it is for. She has not just succeeded in engineering—she has expanded who belongs in it. 

Rebecca Taylor
Threat Intelligence Knowledge Manager and Researcher, X Ops Counter Threat Unit, Sophos

“Being nominated is both humbling and deeply meaningful. I am fortunate to be in a position where I can use my experience and platform to support others, and I strongly believe that talent exists everywhere, even if opportunity does not. Anything I can do to help people step into their own power, make their voices heard, and take up space in the world of technology, I will do. The greatest legacy any of us can leave is opening doors for those who follow"

Rebecca joined Sophos in 2014 and has worked across a variety of roles including Business Operations and Incident Command. She moved into her Researcher role in 2022 in the X-Ops Counter Threat Unit. Here she focuses on the ingestion, management, attribution, and publication of threat intelligence, whilst also maintaining personas and collect across the dark web within the Human Intelligence Team. Her research is predominantly on data leaks, access brokers, and emerging threats including ransomware-as-a-service groups.

Rebecca has been acknowledged in industry for her contributions, most recently winning ‘Cybersecurity Professional of the Year’ at the Women in Tech Excellence Awards. She is also an active member of the cybersecurity community as a mentor, coach, public speaker, podcast host, TEDx speaker and co-author to ‘Securely Yours – An Agony Aunts Guide to Surviving Cyber’ and ‘Resilient You - An Agony Aunts Guide to Keeping It Together’.

Lisa Ventura MBE
Chief Executive and Founder, AI and Cyber Security Association (AICSA)

"Being named a finalist means a great deal to me. So much of my work happens quietly, behind the scenes, so to have it recognised in this way is humbling. I am proud to stand alongside the other finalists and thankful to everyone who has supported me along the way."

Lisa Ventura MBE FCIIS is a formidable and multifaceted figure in the global cyber security landscape. From her early career in entertainment alongside Chris Tarrant, through the founding of multiple organisations including the AICSA and Cyber Security Unity, to her deeply personal advocacy work through Frankie's Legacy and Neuro Unity, Lisa has built an extraordinary career defined by resilience, authenticity and an unwavering commitment to making cyber security more human, more inclusive and more effective.

Her MBE, her Fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Information Security, her Kogan Page book, and her extensive portfolio of awards, articles, speaking engagements and community initiatives position her as one of the most influential voices in cyber security today. Her approach, centred on psychological safety, trauma-informed practice, and neuroinclusion, is reshaping how the industry thinks about security awareness and culture change.