Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon: Empowering the next gen of tech

Dubbed a child prodigy, Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE was the youngest girl to pass A-level computing at 11 years old. She then went on to receive a Master’s in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Oxford at the tender age of 20.

Having held positions at Goldman Sachs, Hewlett-Packard and Deutsche Bank, Imafidon is no stranger to having a seat at the table. However, she soon realised the table was far from diverse. In between stints on Channel 4’s Countdown and running her own project, Stemettes - a social enterprise that aims to empower and enable young women in the STEM sector.

This very special interview is brought to you by Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate.

Here's what we discussed:

• You had quite an unusual school experience. Would you describe what growing up was like for you? (01:09)
• Did you have any role models growing up? (02:04)
• What was the driving factor in you applying yourself at school? (05:45)
• What keeps you motivated now? Especially in your work with Stemettes? (09:23)
• Why have women and girls traditionally been excluded from STEM subjects and industries? (13:58)
• What motivated you to start Stemettes and use your experience and knowledge to enable and help other girls and women? Why is this an important issue? (23:34)
• It’s known that female business owners face more barriers in starting a business and achieving funding. Is there anything specific you did to achieve initial funding? (29:58)
• How do keep motivated? (32:41)
• What would you say is the biggest technological threat of the future? (35:36)
• Do you ever doubt yourself or have negative self-talk? (42:01)
• How do you view failure and adversity in your professional and personal life? (44:40)
• Questions from Queen Ethelburga's students (48:47)

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