insight
This International Women’s Day, Kubrick join with Lloyds Banking Group and Mudano to inspire the next generation of female and non-binary technology experts.
BRISTOL – MARCH 4th - Kubrick and partners at Lloyds Banking Group and Mudano brought together over 100 female and non-binary students for Young Data Minds, a day-long event designed to explore pathways into data and technology careers. The event was organised in tandem with International Women’s Day (March 8th), which has made forging women’s equality in tech one of its key strategic mission’s[1].
Hosted at Bristol science centre We the Curious, the event featured a variety of interactive games, tasks, and Q&A sessions to introduce students to real-world data challenges whilst engaging with data professionals working at all three sponsor organisations. The day was punctuated by keynote addresses, which tied together the event’s three core themes: reflecting on the history and future of women in technology, understanding the power of technology to tackle today’s biggest challenges, and recognising the enormous variety of pathways and possibilities that a career in technology facilitates.
The welcome address was delivered by Sophie Gray, Customer Success Director of Data and AI at Microsoft and Co-Chair of Microsoft’s Global LGBTQI+ Employees and Allies community. She drew on her personal journey in technology and the value of bringing her authentic self as a member of the LGBTQ+ community has brought to her wellbeing in the workplace, as well for driving success in her career.
“The students at Young Data Minds have an incredible opportunity to build the future world that we live in”, said Sophie. “I acknowledge the lack of diversity we’ve seen over the years in the technology space, so I was thrilled to take part to help fix this at the root cause and excite students about how they can achieve a career in technology in order to change that lack of diversity. I wanted to show how technology influences so many aspects of their lives, from today’s music and sports stars to healthcare and the things we do every day in our homes, and highlight the many possible careers in technology, not just the traditional ones that we all think about.”
Joining Sophie in the programme was Ijaz Akram, Chief Technology & Platform Officer at Lloyds Banking Group. As an advocate and evangelist for driving DEI in technology teams, he challenged the students to imagine some of the 85% of future roles that are still yet to be created[2]. Speaking on his keynote, he said, “It is so important that we cultivate a generation of diverse thinking, both in the world of tech but in wider society, who recognise that there are no real boxes separating science, arts, languages, or any creative subjects and technology. Through this blurring and meshing of traditional boundaries, this generation will have the ability to invent and reinvent roles which are needed to address the challenges in today’s world that we are all facing. I’ve seen for myself where diversity benefits teams in practice, and where teams fail without it.”
Kubrick Account Director Roxanne Greene, who spear-headed Kubrick’s sponsorship of Young Data Minds, reflected on the significance of the event for driving DEI. “The barriers we built around the technology industry, which prevent so many women, non-binary, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community from entering, are still standing”, she said. “I’m a firm believer that actions speak louder than words, and Young Data Minds is a fantastic example of taking effective action by giving students the chance to stuck in, ask questions to real life role models, and demystify data and technology at this pivotal stage before choosing GCSEs.”
“This event was a testament to the power of partnership”, Roxanne added. “Together, we were able to widen our reach and include far more students than would’ve been possible as a single organisation. By joining forces as sponsors, with the support of Kubrick’s partners at Microsoft, we were far more successful in bringing the world of technology to life and making it accessible – first to the Bristol area, but with the mutual desire to expand Young Data Minds across the country to simultaneously address the socio-economic disparity in the UK.” END
Kubrick is an award-winning data, AI, and cloud consultancy designed to overcome the digital skills emergency by building a workforce capable of immense transformation. Formed in 2016 and headquartered in the UK, Kubrick has trained over 1000 professionals in today’s most sought after skills through their immersive, 15-week programmes, and supported more than 100 organisations such as UBS, Sainsbury’s, Total, Credit Suisse, P&G, and Morgan Stanley. They are committed to closing the gender divide in technology, hiring 40% female and non-binary consultants to bring a fresh approach to today’s biggest challenges.
For more information on Kubrick’s commitment to increase diversity and inclusion in technology or how we can support your organisation to embrace next-generation technology, get in touch: speaktous@kubrickgroup.com
To learn how you can become a Kubrick consultant, visit (apply) or email us at joinus@kubrickgroup.com
For media enquiries, contact Camilla Dickson, Client Communications Lead: camilladickson@kubrickgroup.com
[1] https://www.internationalwomen...
[2] https://www.delltechnologies.c...
