About Our Novi Rising Stars 2024
Emily Carlson
Emily Carlson leads the Digital Accessibility team at KPMG in the UK, responsible for ensuring our workplace technology is accessible to everyone, including those with physical disabilities, those who are neurodivergent, and those with long-term health conditions.
Isabella Rocha
Isabella is a pioneering UX design apprentice at IBM, combining her passion for technology with a commitment to innovation and inclusion.
With expertise in UX and user-centered design, she has delivered transformative projects across various sectors. Her leadership extends beyond her technical skills, as she founded and co-leads IBM UK’s first Latino/Hispanic Business Resource Group, engaging and influencing over 34,000 IBMers globally.
Recognised by industry leaders and government officials for her exceptional work, Isabella continues to break barriers and inspire the next generation of tech professionals.
Khalia Ismain
Khalia Ismain is Lloyds Bank’s first Black Entrepreneurs Programme Manager, running the bank’s initiatives to support the sustained progression of Black-owned businesses. In 2023, the programme engaged 5,500 entrepreneurs with 23,000 hours of support, and dispersed £50,000 in grant funding to Black-founded start-ups.
Prior to this role, Khalia sat on the Lloyds Bank Black Business Advisory Committee for 2 years after founding Jamii, a marketplace and platform for Black-owned businesses that has facilitated thousands of sales and opportunities, and earned recognition in national media outlets such as Forbes and the BBC. She has been named one of HSBC’s “Top 25 Black Entrepreneurs to Watch” and one of “24 People Genuinely Making the World A Better Place” by Cosmopolitan Magazine.
Khalia is also proudly a School Governor at Malorees Junior & Infant School in North West London.
Swati Raipancholia
Swati is a Management Consultant at Accenture, she grew up in Dubai before attending the University of Nottingham to study Economics, where she grew to love the UK and settled in London 5 years ago. Working at a global organisation in London has allowed her to expand her social life, explore new hobbies and eat her heart out as a foodie!
In addition to her client role, she has also been a key member of the internal Accenture community and a leading member of the gender equality initiative within and beyond her practice. This has been a hugely gratifying experience, and she aspires to continue to lead the charge in this crucial space.
Alisha Kasobya
My name is Alisha Kasobya, I am currently a degree apprentice and staunch advocate for diversity with the workplace. Having been the chair of my organisations’ Race ERG, I have helped to shape views about intersectionality in the workplace.