15 Women Powering the Advancement of Blockchain Technology

As we’ve seen first-hand, blockchain technology can be a powerful catalyst for change and an extraordinary unifier for visionaries and innovators who share a passion for disrupting the status quo through revolutionary technology.?

As we commemorate International Women’s Day today, we’re honoring and celebrating the contributions of all global women in blockchain and placing a special spotlight on 15 inspirational women who are blazing trails and making an outsized impact on this still largely male-dominated sector.?

Barbara Bickham, Founder and Managing Partner at Trailyn VC and Founder and CTO at Trailyn Ventures, LLC

Barbara acts as Managing Director for the Women’s Innovation Fund, an acceleartor program requiring participants to have a C-suite made up of at least 50% women. At Trailyn, she assists investors and entrepreneurs with understanding and incorporating blockchain and AI into their strategies. Barbara is the host of a podcast called the Female VC Lab, which highlights the achievements of women in the VC space.?

Camila Russo, Founder of The Defiant

Camila is an established writer, financial journalist, and founder of The Defiant, a leading content platform focusing on DeFi education and industry news. Camila is also author of The Infinite Machine, which details the creation of Ethereum.?

Cleve Mesidor, Executive Director at Blockchain Foundation

Through her work at the non-profit Blockchain Foundation, Cleve promotes crypto and blockchain education. Cleve is the founder of the National Policy Network of Women of Color in Blockchain where she works to educate and empower women and people of color to get involved in the space.?

Genevieve Leveille, Founder and CEO at AgriLedger ?

Genevieve is a leader in digital identity and financial supply chain optimization and is well known for her work promoting financial inclusion in Africa. Her achiements also include delivering a DLT pilot in 2020 with Haiti’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, an initiative backed by the World Bank-backed.

Kamala Alcantara, Host of “Women Who Web3” podcast

Kamala’s “Women Who Web3” podcast for CoinDesk celebrates the women making a difference in the blockchain industry. Through her show, Kamala educates and helps onboard more women to the space, empowering them through the voices and stories of the influential women she elevates.?

Laura Shin, Crypto journalist, host of “Unchained” podcast, author of The Cryptopians

Laura is widely regarded as one of the most renowned crypto journalists. Her podcast, “Unchained,” is a top podcast in the space and welcomes influential guests to discuss industry news and trends. She provides useful resources for people to stay informed in addition to tips for success in the world of Web3.

Lauren Ingram, Founder of Women of Web3

In addition to serving as a Web3 consultant, marketing consultant and speaker, Lauren founded Women of Web3, a community helping women enter Web3 through the project’s dedicated educational podcast highlighting women in the space, in-person events, and jobs boards.?

Maliha Abidi, Founder and creator at Women Rise

Maliha is the founder and creator of Women Rise, an NFT art collection and Web3 initiative with a focus on women’s rights and girls’ education. She uses art as a tool for advocacy towards social justice, equal rights and mental health.?

Melanie Cutlan, Managing Director, Metaverse Technology Capabilities Lead, Accenture

As part of the Tech Innovation leadership team, she leads Accenture’s blockchain practice and is responsible for exploring and developing technologies focused on supply chain, supply chain finance & operations, including advising on investments and acquisitions. Melanie is a gifted and sought-after speaker, helping to bring complex topics to life at events including Consensus, Hyperledger Global Forum, SIBOS, Global Blockchain Summit, International Association of Outsourcing Professionals, International Women’s Day, and Women in Technology.

Oluchi Enebeli, Founder of Web3Ladies

Nigeria’s first female blockchain engineer, Oluchi is recognized as one of the Top 10 Women in Web3 Changemakers by Near Foundation and Forkast. Oluchi is the founder of Web3Ladies, Africa’s leading non-profit Web3 community providing its over 15,000 members with mentorship, networking events, blockchain skills needed to participate in the development of the Web3 ecosystem.

Sheila Warren, Chief Executive Officer at Crypto Council for Innovation

Sheila founded the blockchain and digital assets team at the World Economic Forum, where she previously served as deputy global head of the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and a member of its executive committee. Sheila supports the advancement towards a more sustainable and inclusive Web3 ecosystem and co-hosts CoinDesk’s Money Reimagined Podcast.?

Sandra Ro, CEO at Global Blockchain Business Council

Sandra believes that blockchain technology will play a pivotal role in democratizating access to the financial system and solve real-world problems in ways that will positively impact society. Through her work at GBBC, Sandra plays a key role in the advancement and adoption of blockchain technology, globally, through initiatives like the “food for crisis fund” to bring food security to those who need it most.?

Sophia Lopez, Founder at Kaleido

Sophia is a pioneer in the blockchain space, having played an important role in shaping the community through her early work as the director managing the IBM Blockchain Platform offering. Through her work at Kaleido, she continues to transform the way businesses operate and deliver value through blockchain technology.??

Ryan Rugg, Head of Digital Assets at Citibank's TTS business

Prior to her current role at Citi, Ryan was responsible for IBM’s America's blockchain team. In both positions, Ryan has led various initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion in the financial sector, driven by the belief that blockchain’s open nature will foster inclusivity, and in turn, greater innovation.

úrsula O'Kuinghttons, Director of Communications and Partnerships at Web3 Foundation

Ursula wrote for Decrypt, El País and Reuters prior to transitioning over to a PR and communications role. She believes in the power of blockchain technology to positively transform the way we live by creating a peer-to-peer system that removes hierarchical standards, ultimately laying a more level playing field.

For more info please visit hyperledger.org