Code First Girls Podcast

Code First Girls Podcast

Code First Girls is on a mission to close the gender gap in the tech industry by providing employment through free education. We’ve already helped more than 200,000 women learn to code and by working with companies globally, we’re boosting employability, diversity and social mobility, transforming local economies and communities. Our #REPRESENT podcast was launched to give our community role models of women and non-binary people who are killing it in the world of tech. We want our community to hear from women like themselves represented in top positions, inspiring them to push their careers and aspire to leadership positions once they've got their foot in the door.

Episodes

September 19, 2024 27 mins

Welcome our new guest Ifeoma Okolie, Product Safety Manager at Thales. Ifeoma shares her courageous journey from Nigeria to the UK, where she embraced a fresh start to pursue her dream career. With no family support, she worked her way up from chemical engineering to a leadership role in tech.

The interview highlights:
👉 Taking bold leaps and backing yourself
👉 Navigating imposter syndrome and career challenges

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Welcome our new guest Jo Prosser, Director of Technology at Flutter. 
Jo shares her journey in tech and gives advice to those wanting to push those barriers and go further in their career.

The interview highlights:
👉 Not letting doubts hold you back
👉 Push your boundaries
👉 Normalise imposter syndrome

Listen to the full interview to find out Jo's key advice for any woman who is starting out...

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Welcome our new guest Shabnam Nawaz, Chief of Staff, Technology at Dunnhumby. Shabnam shares her journey in tech, emphasising the importance of diversity, mentorship, and continuous learning. 

The interview highlights:
👉 Asking the right questions can drive success
👉 Importance of mentorship, both formal and informal
👉 Overcoming self-doubt

Watch the full interview to find out Shabnam’s key advice f...

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Welcome our first guest of 2024, Alison Noon-Jones, Vice President and HR Director at Leidos. Alison shares the fantastic work Leidos does, from border control and supporting the frontline to how Leidos supports their employees. 

We discuss the importance of creativity and soft skills in tech careers, as well as the significance of continuous learning and mentorship.

Listen to the full interview to learn more abou...

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Dive into our recent conversation with Katie Gaffney, Vice President, EMEA Tech Regional Leadership at Goldman Sachs, we delve into Katie’s fascinating background, from her childhood fascination with technology to her leadership role in finance. 

Check out the interview to learn:

💼 How Katie’s early experience shaped her passion for tech and paved the way for her successful career.
🔍 Explored her insights on...

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Welcome our new guest Evie Dineva, Group Head of Data Engineering and Data Science at Gymshark. Evie shares her journey to Gymshark and what drew her to the team’s culture. Discover how Gymshark’s tech and data teams thrive on principles like innovation, collaboration, and a garage mentality.

The interview highlights:
👉 The ever-evolving world of technology
👉 Uncover the secrets of data ethics and integrity
�...

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#REPRESENT is back with a new guest, Christina Scott, Chief Product and Technology Officer at OVO. Over the next thirty minutes, we talk about sustainable ways to be energy efficient from doing your washing at 4 a.m. to using solar panels to charge your car! But most importantly, we talk about how we as a nation can help to reach our Netzero targets.

Christina hails from a mechanical engineering background, so she’s not only an expe...

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Exciting times ahead in banking! We had the pleasure of sitting down with Usha Newland, CIO of Customer Care at Barclays. We delve into the evolving landscape of technology and finance. Usha shares her insights on transforming the banking experience and the future of AI.  

Usha’s journey also underlines the tech field’s dynamic nature. She’s a firm advocate for continual learning, urging you to be bold, question the norms,...

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We were lucky enough to sit down with National Grid’s Chief Information and Digital Officer Sarah Milton-Hunt. As the UK continues the fight against global warming, National Grid is at the centre of decarbonizing the power system. What is Sarah’s perspective on future technology and how it will help us achieve NetZero? We find out.

As a seasoned technology leader, we ask Sarah how diversity in tech teams can be a superpowe...

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Lauren Sager Weinstein, Chief Data Officer at Transport For London, shares how she uses data to solve problems with tech. How do we provide better service for customers whilst also building their trust? Simple answer, through data! 

The world of transport offers so many opportunities to get involved with, from the data management side to the engineering - and we need more women getting involved! We know you can do it. From...

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Did you know that the Deputy CTO of Sainsbury's used to fill jam donuts in their stores? 

 Karen Brown, Deputy Chief Technology Officer, shares her journey from working in Sainsbury's' stores to now leading a technical team of hundreds over the course of the last 31 years.

Jumping from organisation to organisation has been a common trend for the younger workforce, but Karen is a prime example of how the sky's the ...

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Ever felt out of your depth as a woman working in tech?

 Sarah Liddell, Chief Product Officer of femtech leader Elvie, was one of four women in a team of 240 engineers when she started 🤯

 Sarah was a single mum when she went back to uni to study design engineering. Armed with aspirations to build a pushchair that ACTUALLY folded (amongst other things) Sarah's mission to use technology to fulfil the underserv...

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This episode is a bit different, as we are welcoming not one, but TWO guests on the podcast! We are joined by two brilliant speakers, coaches, and educators; Lily and Alex. Lily is a bonafide West End star, and Alex is the legendary confidence coach that has supported our Nanodegree candidates through their interviews with tech companies. 
Despite their backgrounds and successes, both still struggle with impostor syndrome from ...

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Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Dots Pip Jamieson joins Anna for an in-depth conversation on her journey of starting a successful female-owned and lead tech business. She reveals how and why she chose the name "The Dots" as well as what it's like running a business whilst being "Delightfully Dyslexic".

To sign up for a MOOC, free 8-week coding class, or explore the new Nanodegree, go to ...

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Suzanne Janse Van Rensburg joins Anna for an in-depth conversation about how she has built a diversity-friendly workplace as COO at Bank of America. 

To learn more about Code First Girls, and how we’ve taught 200,000 women to code visit our website: https://codefirstgirls.com/

Follow our channel for more: https://www.youtube.com/@CodeFirstGirls1/

#CodeFirstGirls #REPRESENT #WomenInTech #Technology #DiversityandInclusion

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Orla Dunne was recently called "the most important Goldman Sachs partner you've never heard of". After this conversation, it'll be clear why. 
Orla is a passionate advocate for technology education, diversity, and inclusivity in all its forms, and her insights on the future of work and new ways to share learnings from lockdown across society are sure to inspire you. 

To sign up for a MOOC, free 8-we...

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Social media is big business. The current value of the top five social media brands is estimated to be over $1 trillion, but lots of questions are being posed about the way that these companies treat user data and privacy.
In this episode, Anna sits down with Freddie de Sibert, co-founder and CEO of the new social networking app Revmo to discuss the role of privacy in our social media landscape and what it'll take to make...

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While we're pretty sure that artificial intelligence isn't going to lead to a Terminator-style apocalypse, a lot of people have a lot of questions. What is AI? What is machine learning? What's the difference between them, and can you use the terms interchangeably? To answer these questions and give some insight on how industry is building and applying these systems we are joined by Manisha Mistry, Portfolio Director ...

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With good reason, inclusion and diversity have been on top of mind for many of us through 2020. Anna sits down with Lauren von Stackelberg, Global Head of Inclusion and Diversity at Expedia Group for an incisive conversation on the definition of D&I, ways that companies can be held to account for their public pledges, and how to interrogate hiring managers before deciding to take a job. 

Lauren's book recommendati...

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No matter how many times you hear it, it's still worth hearing: There is no 'one path' to a career in technology. In this episode, Anna is joined by Carol Johnson, IT Director at Telegraph Media Group and founder of Women In Tech Not Just Code.
This episode covers Carol's journey from a junior administrative role to leading the IT infrastructure at one of the UK's largest media institutions. The conver...

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