Women's Networking Event

Carmen Janse van Rensburg

Head of Strategic Programmes at Anglo American

As the Head of Technical Strategic Programmes at Anglo American, Carmen is at the forefront of driving operational excellence and guiding transformational strategic initiatives within the mining sector. Her career, enriched by vital roles at Anglo Platinum, De Beers and Ernst & Young, showcases a dedication to leveraging her insight in programme leadership and risk management to deliver sustainable value and foster innovation across global operations.

Her balanced approach not only navigates complex industry challenges but also ensures long-term, impactful outcomes. Balancing the rigours of leadership with the joys and challenges of being a mother of two, Carmen also pursues running as a way to maintain a healthy work-life balance. This personal journey highlights her resilience and adaptability, underscoring her success in pursuing a career that reflects her values and ambitions.

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Caroline Hurndall

Director Geopolitics at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Caroline joined the (then) FCO in 2004; her career has largely focused on conflict and national security. This has included a two year deployment to Afghanistan, a secondment to the UN mission in Sierra Leone, leading the FCO Sudan team during the secession of South Sudan, leading the British Embassy in Washington’s Middle East team, and leading the Government’s cross-Whitehall Iran Unit in response to ongoing nuclear and regional crises. Most recently, Caroline completed a two-year posting as British Ambassador to Libya – the first woman to undertake the role. On return to London at the start of 2024, she took up her current role of Director for Geopolitics. When not focusing on knotty international issues, she can normally be found sailing or trail running.

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Claire Dickson

Chief Information Officer at DS Smith

Claire Dickson is Chief Information Officer for DS Smith, accountable for secure and resilient operations and delivering transformational business growth through digital and data capabilities in machine, energy, supply chain and customer experience, collaborating with the business across Recycling, Paper & Sustainable Packaging.

Claire has over 20 years' experience working in technology and was previously CIO for BP Downstream from 2016, where she executed a strategy to drive business value through IT excellence, with a focus on cyber resilience, ERP backbone, B2C & B2B platforms and pricing.

Since 2022, Claire has also held a Non Executive Director position at Evos, an independent bulk liquid energy and chemical storage company headquartered in Amsterdam. 

Claire is passionate about leadership and growing talent for the future, investing time mentoring and coaching. 

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Juanita Draude

Chief Growth Officer, Publicis Groupe

As Chief Growth Officer, Juanita leads Publicis Groupe growth across the UK and EMEA. 

With a career that spans both clients and agencies, Juanita has deep experience delivering brand, communications, data and business transformation strategies. 

Juanita joined Zenith, a Publicis agency  in 2016, working with clients across retail, CPG, fashion, beauty and financial services before moving to the Publicis Groupe UK team in 2019 to deploy the single P&L country model across the 26 Publicis agency brands.. Prior to joining Publicis, Juanita led commercial marketing and brand teams across international markets for the NBA (National Basketball Association) and various divisions of NBCUniversal. 

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Melanie Stocker

VP IT - Product & Supply Chain, Burberry

With more than two decades of experience in a variety of roles, Melanie Stocker is currently the Vice President IT - Product, Merchandising and Supply Chain at Burberry, where she has worked for more than 16 years. Throughout her career at the luxury fashion house, Melanie has taken on eight roles ranging from Head of Business Intelligence to Director, Business Transformation.

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