Women in Tech 2026

The Brighton Web Development Meetup - Women in Tech 2026 Event

Tonight we are delighted to have a full roster of speakers presenting a variety of topics on Women in Tech issues for our 2026 Women in Tech event. Our list of presentations for the evening includes:

1 - “My experiences of scaling a Tech Business” – Catrina Bassett
This talk offers a grounded, behind-the-scenes view of what scaling a tech business really looks like, based on Cat’s 11 years at DabApps. Drawing on real experiences of growth, she explores the key shifts founders face as teams expand: moving from “doing everything” to enabling others, hiring people who raise the bar, staying on top of the numbers, and building a culture of transparency and resilience. The session also touches on using AI and smart partnerships to increase focus and productivity, while keeping the human side of product development front and centre.

2 - “From Data to Momentum: Why Context Matters in Women’s Workplace Data” – Kasia Hayward
How context aware intelligence reshapes women’s progress at work

3 - “The Challenge of Women’s Data in Sport” – Allick Mighall
Sports Tech specialist Alick Mighall explores how better data and AI in women’s football can improve player welfare, performance and unlock sustainable growth and why it's essential that women play a key role in shaping the future of sports technology.

4 - “Women as the Architects of Ethical AI" - Azahara Corrales
AI's biggest challenge is balancing innovation with human oversight, especially regarding bias and inequality. To ensure a just and responsible future, women must be at the table. This segment explores the crucial role women play as both powerful users and ethical shapers of AI technology. By engaging as developers and advocates, women will directly mitigate bias, foster equality, and drive the next era of innovation.

5 - “Building Communities in Tech” – Rifa Thorpe-Tracey
Rifa will be talking about her career journey as a woman (of colour) in tech, digital and creative and why she set up SheSays and why it's still important now.

Speaker bios:

Catrina Bassett
Cat is Managing Director at DabApps, a Brighton-based software agency that builds purposeful, AI enabled web and mobile apps. She began her career in business development and marketing before moving into tech over a decade ago, and has since grown with DabApps into a leadership role. Cat is passionate about building inclusive teams, supporting people to thrive, and creating digital products that solve real-world problems. She’s especially interested in ethical technology, responsible innovation, and championing equity across the industry.

Kasia Hayward
Kasia brings two decades of experience working with FTSE businesses and blue-chip clients, and now operates in the data SaaS space at the intersection of data intelligence, workplace strategy, culture. Drawing on earlier work building and supporting technology skills pipelines, she brings multiple lenses to women-in-tech conversations: from talent pathways and capability building to data-led workplace strategy.

Alick Mighall
Alick is a digital technologist with significant experience in sports, having worked for Premier League clubs, NFL, LIV Golf and a range of other sports clubs and leagues. After 7 years at Yahoo and over a decade running the agency miggle, he’s now starting to build out his own sports tech products.

Azahara Corrales
Azahara is an AI Consultant and Tech Trend Strategist who bridges the gap between AI innovation and business ROI, fusing over a decade of marketing expertise with strategic foresight. An award-winning consultant and advocate for women in tech, she helps organisations decode trends to build ethical, future-proof AI roadmaps. Recognised as Digital Marketer of the Year (2022) and a finalist for AI Specialist of the Year (2025), she has spoken at AfricaTech, BrightonSEO, and The Martech Summit.

Rifa Thorpe-Tracey
Rifa is a coach, consultant and community leader. She's the force behind SheSays Brighton part of a global network for women in digital.
Every year our Women in Tech event seems to get more popular and this year we are lucky to have some really excellent speakers, so this should be our best event yet

We would like to say a big thank you in advance to everyone who has agreed to present and offer their time for our Meetup Group.

Doors at the Skiff open at 6:30m and the first talk will start around 7pm.

As usual there will be free drinks and snacks on the night, please sign up so we can keep track of numbers.

Many thanks.

I hope to see you there.
Thanks, Gavin