MediaTECHWomen - Panel: Leadership
Debbie Forster MBE, CEO of Tech Talent Charter
Debbie is an award-winning diversity, tech, and education advocate and CEO of the Tech Talent Charter, an industry-led membership group of over 700 Signatories working collaboratively to improve D&I in the tech ecosystem. She received an MBE in 2017 for “Services to Digital Technology and Tech Development” and was named 2019’s Most Influential Woman in UK IT by Computer Weekly.
Debbie also chairs the Institute of Coding's Diversity Board and sits on the steering group of #TechSheCan as well as the government's Digital Economy Council, National Cyber Advisory Board and Money and Pensions Service Advisory Board.
Laura Moore, Global Director of Identity Platforms
Laura is the Director of Identity Platforms, a global role providing leadership and strategic vision around Identity Management for Sky, NOW, Peacock and Sky and ShowTime. Laura leads a team of technologists that build and operate this secure and seamless identity experience for a global customer base.
Joining Sky in December 2021, Laura brings a wealth of experience from the telecommunications industry. She is a technologist, passionate about innovation, motivated to get the best out of people and loves to build technology solutions that consumers actually want and need. Laura is also a fierce advocate of Diversity and is the Exec Sponsor of the LIFT program, an inclusive and supportive community of female leaders in tech with the vision of: Lift as we climb. Fearless together.
Meribeth Parker, SVP, Platforms and Partnerships, News UK
Meribeth is SVP, Platforms and Partnerships, at News UK, the media business behind The Times & The Sunday Times, The Sun, talkSPORT, Virgin Radio UK and TalkTV. News UK brands reach about 40 million consumers every month. In her role, she leads teams managing relationships with platform partners including Meta, Google and Apple, as well as strategic commercial partnerships, business innovation, licensing, events and trading.
Prior to joining News UK, Meribeth ran a leading media and luxury consultancy as well as holding non-executive director roles at Jimmy Choo and Belstaff. She spent a number of years as Group Publishing Director at Hearst UK, the leading magazine media business. She was responsible for the cross-platform publishing and commercial strategy of the company's luxury portfolio of brands including: Harper's Bazaar, ELLE, ELLE Decoration and Town & Country.
Meribeth is also currently Chair of the British Beauty Council, is a Non-Executive Director for BALLY and an investor in several small luxury businesses.
Eleanor Van Heyningen, Head of Digital Partnerships, BBC Distribution & Business Development
Eleanor leads the Digital Partnerships team, part of BBC Distribution & Business Development. Her role is to ensure that all audiences are getting good value from the BBC’s partnerships with global technology companies for which her team is a central point of contact in the BBC. She is responsible for identifying new opportunities and challenges for the digital distribution of BBC video, audio and news in the UK.
Before that, she was Chief of Staff to the BBC’s Chief Product and Technology Officer, having started at the BBC managing the 2016 Charter Review process. That followed ten years in the Civil Service where Eleanor held variety of roles in DCMS leading policy teams and advising Ministers. Her career started working in museums, and she has degrees in history and museum studies. She lives in south London with partner and two children.
