TalkTalk CEO Tristia Harrison announces 1st ever North West Women in Tech awards for Manchester in November 2021

SALFORD based connectivity provider TalkTalk has announced the creation of a brand new annual awards ceremony celebrating the achievements of women working in the tech sector in the North West.

The TalkTalk North West Women in Tech awards will take place at The Refuge, on Wednesday, 3 November 2021. They will be hosted by Tristia Harrison, CEO of TalkTalk with awards presented to winners by Gary Neville, the former United footballer and 1 of the most recognisable entrepreneurs in the Region.

The new awards will focus on 6 categories:- Rising Star, Tech Champion, Innovation, Group/Community, Ally/Mentor, and Outstanding Achievement. The winners will receive the recognition from Tristia and Gary on the day.

Members of the public can nominate women working in all areas and levels of tech across the North West of England for the awards online Winners will be selected by an expert panel of female tech leaders.

Tristia Harrison, Chief Executive of TalkTalk, said:- "The North West is the fastest growing tech hub in Europe; it's 1 of the many reasons why we made our base here a few years ago. However, women are still underrepresented. Only 19% of roles within our sector are filled by women. As an industry we need to do better. At TalkTalk, we are passionate about identifying the very best talent across all levels of our business, whilst helping to nurture the next generation of female tech leaders across the Region. These awards are for them."

Gary Neville says:- "I'm delighted to be supporting these awards. The North West is 1 of the most exciting places to work in tech in Europe. Though still underrepresented, women are playing an increasingly important part in that story. I look forward to celebrating that and recognising individuals for their successes in the Region."

TalkTalk already hosts its own thriving women in tech professional network for internal staff and recently sponsored Manchester's 1st REACH The Next Generation Summit; founded by Sky Sports anchor Sarah Stirk and aimed, at empowering and educating 11 to 15 year old girls from all backgrounds.
 

Metrosmart ticket sales hit million pound milestone

TICKET sales via the Metrosmart portal have hit the ₤1million mark this week as more people benefit from the online service. The Metrocard travel scheme replaced the Liverpool City Region's Walrus card back in January 2020, giving people the ability and flexibility to buy smart tickets and manage their accounts online for the 1st time. This was an important 1st step in a programme that will ultimately deliver the Metro Mayor's vision for a London style smart ticketing scheme with:- 'tap and go' travel, digital season tickets and online accounts for bus and rail users. Despite the challenges of the Pandemic, this upward trend in sales indicates a growing appetite for smarter digital ticketing among travellers in the City Region.

Cllr Liam Robinson Transport and Air Quality Portfolio Holder for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, said:- "The Metrosmart portal is all about making ticketing simpler and easier for people travelling around our Region so it's great to see that passengers are embracing this online service. We are developing more products and services to meet the growing demand for smarter ticketing options that offer greater levels of convenience and choice."

The Metrosmart portal allows passengers to register their smartcard, buy a range of smart tickets, for use on bus or rail and manage their accounts online. Once purchased, tickets are collected by simply tapping the smartcard on board the bus or at the Rail Station. More ticket products were made available online earlier this year and platform validators were installed at 66 stations across the Merseyrail network. Further products and enhanced services are under development as part of the Combined Authority's smart ticketing programme.