2025 Shortlisted nominee
D&I TECH INITIATIVE AWARD
Paulette Watson MBE is Managing Director of Academy Achievers and founder of the global #BeMeDigitalInclusion programme, empowering Black women and girls to lead in AI, cloud, and Web3. A dyslexic Black woman from South East London, Paulette has transformed barriers into catalysts for change, training teachers, coaching entrepreneurs, and creating pathways into tech for thousands worldwide. Since 2018, #BeMe has grown into a multi-continent ecosystem, mentoring in 40 schools per cohort, delivering virtual internships with Google Cloud, KPMG and Ciena, and hosting She Disrupts Africa events reaching over 5,000 participants. To date, the programme has raised £1.5m and built a community of 40,000 women and girls, with 83% of alumni progressing into STEM. Author of She Disrupts, Paulette is also a global AI consultant, keynote speaker, and advocate recognised with an MBE (2024) for services to STEM and AI education.
