Bloom Appoints New Executive Leadership Team

Non-profit and voluntary network, Bloom has appointed a new executive leadership team to take Bloom into 2024, with Caroline Ayling appointed by the board as president. 

Caroline also joins the board of directors for the annual period, while Hannah Dempsey has been appointed director of operations and Kelly Cuesta, director of membership.

Together, their mandate is to create and implement an operational plan to ensure the successful delivery of Bloom’s strategy. This includes delivering a valuable and motivating experience for Bloom’s 400 strong membership, in line with Bloom’s core purpose of mentoring, networking and fundraising for Women’s Aid. 

Bloom enjoyed a hugely successful year in 2023/24 under the presidency of Elizabeth Anyaegbuna, in which highlights included BloomFest ‘The Lift’ in February with a stellar line up of speakers and the launch of Bloom’s ground-breaking research project into the lives of working women, ‘The Juggle’. It also raised over £45,000 in funds to support the essential work that Women’s Aid is doing to stamp out domestic violence against women.

From this springboard, Bloom is set to grow in membership and reputation even further under the new non-exec board of directors.

Newly elected president Caroline Ayling is also marketing director at JAA (John Ayling & Associates). Her commitment to Bloom began in 2021, and since then she has held a number of roles within the network including Bloom Mentoring Team events lead and Exchange Programme: Co-Mentor. 

Furthermore, Caroline launched a paid work experience programme to support young disadvantaged people into independent living via a six-week work placement at JAA, Including internal psychologically informed environment (PIE) training. The experience allowed the young person to experience life in the industry, often closed off or unknown to them, as a career opportunity.

With multiple awards under her belt, including The Media Leader’s Class of 2023 Future 100 Club, Caroline says, “I believe in equity, fairness and standing up and doing. I’ve worked for strong female leaders who have all championed that until our boardrooms are 50/50, there will always be a role for female-focused organisations. I am not a believer in quotas, but I advocate that every woman has the ability to lead but not always the opportunity. I now have the honour of leading Bloom for the next 12 months with a great team by my side.”

Meanwhile, Hannah Dempsey, VP of marketing at Jellyfish, has been featured in The Media Leader’s Future 100 2023 and TechRound Top 50 Women In Tech 2024, leads the marketing capability at the global digital marketing business. She is also on the leadership team of the SheUnit, Jellyfish'semployee resource group (ERG) for women and allies. Having held roles as co-head of marketing at Bloom in 2022 and Head of Social at TEDXLondon in 2017/18, Hannah is also an IamRemarkable facilitator, running sessions on self-confidence and self-promotion, and a Brownie Leader.

Hannah says, “Being part of Bloom's Executive Leadership team fills me with immense joy. My passion for promoting equality, particularly gender equality, not only gives me purpose but also fuels my enthusiasm for the great work Bloom continues to do for our industry every year. I am genuinely excited to collaborate with Caroline, Kelly, the Bloom board, and our wider team to realise our ambitious aspirations for 2024. Here's to igniting change, fostering inclusivity, and celebrating the transformative power of unity together!”

Meanwhile, Kelly Cuesta is marketing and communications advisor for brands in and with technology to drive purposeful change, as well as the founder and director of Latinas in Tech Madrid. A multi-award-winning Social Impact Leader and marketing strategist at heart, with a decade of experience in marcom for hyper-growth tech environments, Kelly actively seeks opportunities to tackle complex organisational challenges. 

Kelly says, “I have been part of Bloom for over two years, and I have seen the community evolve and impact in our industry. Although I have actively participated as a member, mentor and co-lead for Inclusion Groups (Bloom In Colour and Women’s Health in Bloom), this year, I am looking forward to making a greater impact as part of the ELT to deliver a valuable and energising experience for our community.”

Bronac McNeill, chair of the Bloom Board, says, “On behalf of the Board, I want to thank the outgoing Leadership team for their hard work and their commitment to furthering our cause over the past year. I also want to extend a warm welcome to Caroline, Hannah, and Kelly. We are confident that this stellar team will be well placed to take Bloom from strength to strength in 2024.”