Sarah Burne James | IBM
Five years ago, I wouldn’t have predicted I would be working for an IT company today, much less in a technical role. I hadn’t considered a career in technology even as a remote possibility. After studying Linguistics and Spanish at Oxford University and teaching English abroad, I joined IBM as a business consultant in 2015. I was initially interested in applications of technology to improve our world, but I soon realised that I was just as interested in how things work.
My route into IT means I do not have a traditionally technical background, however I see this as an advantage; I bring a new perspective to my team and question the status quo. Since starting at IBM, I have completed assignments in Technical Governance, IT Architecture, Project Management Office, and Testing in the Financial and Utilities sectors. I aim to make a positive impact on each assignment, and learn as much as possible, asking as many questions as I can while supplementing this with books, articles, and training courses. The consistently excellent feedback I have received demonstrates that this has been a success.
I am determined to demonstrate that a successful technical career is possible from an unusual background, particularly because it is disproportionally women who come into technology from other routes. I lead by example, but believe supporting others is key too. I mentor junior colleagues, and enthusiastically share technical events, courses and articles with my network. I am on the committee of IBM’s early professional technical community and am working with technical leaders and executives to run IBM's annual conference for technical women.
Outside work I have won hackathons proposing Internet of Things solutions for insurance and e-commerce. I regularly volunteer at parkrun UK – providing weekly free community runs. I speak Galician, Spanish, French and Japanese.
Rose Tucker | ThoughtWorks
I work as a software consultant for ThoughtWorks. My job involves working with client companies to help improve their digital capabilities, this may mean adding new digital products, or re-working existing products to improve the experience of their customers. As a developer at ThoughtWorks I have to wear many hats, sometimes I work with product owners to help them understand their vision, sometimes I work with other developers to write software, sometimes I help to build the infrastructure that our software will run on, and some times I do all of those things on the same day.
Particular projects vary, only day i could be building a mobile banking application for 1 million users, another I could be helping to shape the technology strategy of a global organisation, and then I could be working pro bono to help a non profit define their technical vision.
I’m currently working towards becoming a Technical Lead within ThoughtWorks.
Nicole Covey | IBM
I joined IBM in August 2011 straight from college at the age of 18 after achieving A-Levels in Law, Psychology and English Literature and Language.
My first role was in the WebSphere Software Support team supporting our customers with any queries they had with the software. In parallel to my daily role in the WebSphere team I was also working towards my Advanced Apprenticeship in IT and I achieved this qualification in 2014. During this time I was also awarded a Client Value Outstanding Technical Achievement Award for a tool that I developed along with a colleague which aimed to help us as a business improve client satisfaction.
In January 2014 I moved into the zSeries support team which is where I am today. My current role is a zSeries Software Support Specialist. zSeries are our big mainframe servers which many large businesses use to run their entire enterprise. An average day entails working on PMR’s (Problem Management Records). These are used to manage technical queries and/or issues experienced by customers with the z/OS operating system. In addition, I’m part of the Recovery Managers Team. This entails providing 24/7 support for one of our major customers.
I have developed a close relationship with the British Computer Society and featured as one of their Women in IT series for the month of June 2015. I was one of the first technicians to become part of the BCS Register of IT Technicians (RITTech), helping to develop the registration process. I was also delighted to be asked present at the official launch of the register alongside others such as Lord Sainsbury, Jos Creese (President of BCS), and Chi Onwurah (Shadow Minister for BIS). I am also the first IBMer to achieve an Advanced Apprenticeship in IT qualification.
Emma Seaton-Smith | Spire Healthcare Ltd
I left school to pursue a degree in Jewellery & Silversmithing at the Birmingham School of Jewellery. Despite loving my work and achieving First Class Honours, I couldn’t see myself in the life of a designer artist and although I couldn’t put my finger on it at the time, I needed a greater purpose.
Having found myself accidentally working my way up management in a pub brand, I knew a big change was needed. After considerable research into medicine, I eventually decided on a degree in Radiography instead and qualified in 2006 and I loved working for the patients. I worked for three years in busy departments in the NHS and privately, before accepting a National Radiography Manager’s job with Lifescan.
Whilst not in my job description, I found myself in a key role integrating this small company’s radiology IT systems into the Spire Healthcare network when they bought Lifescan. It turned out to be a complex task which ignited my enthusiasm in clinical IT systems and I was fortunate that Spire Healthcare recognised this and offered me a position as a Clinical Implementation Specialist in the central IT team.
I now project manage and deliver clinical software to our hospitals, as well as reviewing and improving software that we already have. I love making the applications work for the clinical staff and bridging the gap between complicated IT systems and the clinical end users experience and I also love that my work still ultimately benefits patients.
I like to immerse myself in other countries and cultures and one of my most treasured experiences from a year long trip round South East Asia was living with an Indonesian family in Sumatra for a few weeks as part of their family, immersed in their culture and language.
Charlotte Hutchinson | IBM
Charlotte is a Technical Consultant working in the IBM professional services team specialising in API Connect. She is currently working with large clients assisting them in their journey of embracing the API economy and their shift towards a micro services based architecture in node.js.
Charlotte has gained IBM recognition from leaders in Loopback at IBM and been awarded Digital Badges for being a Loopback Advocate, Node.js community leader and understanding the importance of API Management concepts. Charlotte has also demonstrated advanced understanding of the LoopBack technology and is sharing that knowledge to grow the community through presentations. Charlotte has a keen interest in Node.js and other Javascript based frameworks such as AngularJS and Ionic.
Whilst in work Charlotte has assisted many teams and clients worldwide through running workshops and events in these areas, offering valuable expertise and experience. Most recently Charlotte presented at IBM Interconnect Conference in Las Vegas to over 150 people on tips and tricks on API Connect.
Charlotte has had 3 developer works articles published and coded numerous custom extensions for API Connect helping customers solve business problems:
- Evaluate your API organization for downstream service dependencies
- Connect back-end systems to APIs with IBM API Connect and IBM MQ
- Insider tips to customize themes in the IBM API Connect Developer Portal
Outside of work, Charlotte is a keen sports fan, often running marathons for Cancer charities, a charity close to her heart as a cancer survivor. Charlotte came to IBM with a first class degree in Computing from the University of Kent and lives in London.
Additionally Charlotte is working with technical leaders and executives at IBM on an annual conference for technical women and tackling gender diversity at grass routes.
Charlotte Kona | Bloomberg
When I picked Network Engineering as a course at university, I didn’t realise how many opportunities were waiting for me beyond graduation. I have had the great privilege of beginning my career as part of Bloomberg's Network Engineering team. Our focus is on providing first class service to our clients on the largest private network in the world. My strong interpersonal skills have enabled me to become an integral team member and, despite working in a predominantly male environment, I believe that I have earned the respect of a team. There are now four times as many women on our team so; I would say I have successfully created a pipeline for others to achieve their dreams.
I am one of Sheryl Sandberg's “sit at the table” kind of girl who is passionate about de-mystifying the world of technology as it is fast becoming an integrated part of our daily lives. I have had significant support from managers and colleagues who continually help me realise what I can achieve. As a result of such great support, I’m always looking for opportunities to develop others and help anyone who wishes to follow in my footsteps.
I lead the mentoring program for Technical Support in EMEA which provides assistance for individuals joining the team. In addition I volunteer with the Access Project which allows me to inspire younger people to consider taking up careers in the STEM industry.
My passion for technology and the world we live in spills over into my personal life. I can often be found globetrotting in my blue trainers exploring a new culture and taking many photos (http://bluetrainertravels.com).
Carole Logan | Equator
I am a developer based in Glasgow with an interest in Web and IOT (Internet of Things). I am passionate about making the industry a more diverse culture, particularly encouraging more girls in to STEM careers.
To ensure I stay relevant in an always moving industry, I invest much of my free time in investigating new tech and improving understanding of frameworks and language I already use. This includes organising and attending local meetups and conferences as well as just getting some hands on coding experience to understand the technology I use everyday at a deeper level.
As I continue on my career, I want to keep being an ambassador for under-represented groups in the industry. As I gain more experience I want to use this to help others see that they to can progress in their career, contribute to projects, speak at events, etc. We know that more diverse teams build better experiences for users and deliver better products for clients. Hopefully as I move along my career, I can influence this.
Beverley Newing | Oxford Computer Consultants
Despite having graduated from Warwick University with a degree in English and German Literature in 2015, I now work as a Front End Intern in a tech consultancy! After graduation, I worked at Code First: Girls as an Intern and then Programmes Associate for 7 months, an organisation which aims to diversify tech by offering a variety of courses and events to women interested in tech. I then accepted an internship at Zooniverse in the Physics department of the University of Oxford, where I started learning JavaScript and React. After that ended, I accepted another internship at Oxford Computer Consultants where I'm now focusing on rounding out the rest of my Front End skills.
In my spare time, I keep very busy with copious amounts of volunteering! I organise codebar Oxford with two others, teach on the local Code First: Girls courses and do online volunteering with Three Rings CIC. In my spare time I exercise, and dance whenever I can.
Anneclaire van Not | DXC
Anneclaire hold an MSc International Health Management from Imperial College and is passionate about patient empowerment and using technology to improve care delivery. She enjoys showing people the benefits that technology can have for their personal life, as well as how technology trends and developments can disrupt industries and companies.
Anneclaire has recently started a new role as Innovation Specialist for Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and looks to leverage her creative skills and passion for technology to help beat cancer sooner.
Before joining CRUK, she worked as a Consultant for DXC, a global provider of next generation technologies, and as a Research Associate for the Leading Edge Forum (LEF), an information technology research and advisory services firm.
With her background in Healthcare and Life Sciences, she supported the haptic sensing research capability of the LEF’s 21st Century organization framework to develop and deliver healthcare related digital recipes in support of LEF’s Xperience Lab advisory service.
At DXC, she has worked on numerous projects in Healthcare and Life Sciences, amongst which the first-of-its-type Trafford Care Coordination Centre (TCCC), an innovative centre that aims to provide patients, families and care providers with significantly improved patient experience and efficiency across the healthcare system.
She also chaired DXC’s Young Professional Resource Group, an employee resource group focused on creating an inclusive and collaborative environment that aids in the retention and professional development of DXC’s young professionals.
Lauren Murtagh | BT
I am a Technical Customer Experience enthusiast who has an educational background in Computing. I am a hard-working, self-motivated, organised individual who takes great pride in every task I pursue.
I enjoy distilling the complexity of technology into tangible benefits for the customer and business. My enthusiasm for technology is highest when looking at how it can be applied to improve customer experience and business performance. I have developed strong problem solving skills and enjoy applying these skills to get to root cause on customer impacting issues. I thrive on pressure of new challenges and enjoy success from well-developed and effectively delivered improvement plans. I can switch between working the detail level of a project and the strategic planning level.
I graduated from The Queen’s University Belfast in 2013 after completing a BSc in Computing and Information Technology. Whilst completing my degree I was fortunate to secure a year’s professional experience at Liberty Information Technology working as an IT Systems Engineer, I believe this is where my interest in diagnostics and customer improvement began.
After graduating in 2013 I began work for BT within the TV Client Devices Team. This was a great experience as I got to learn about and be a part of the process of creating the Client Software that customers use and interact with every day. Through this experience my passion for Customer Experience grew, I had ideas around what we could to make things better and at the end of 2014 I was given the opportunity to join the BT Operations team and lead the TV Customer Experience initiative, nicknamed project Marvel. Since then the team has grown from 4 to 24 and we have made significant progress on improving the BT customer experience.