Introducing the Sponsor and Speakers at the STEM Women Virtual Technology Graduate Event

We can’t wait to host our very first technology focused event for students and recent graduates interested in starting a career in the tech sector. Taking place on 28^th September, this event will enable employers from the technology sector to network with attendees, deliver talks and take part in panel sessions.

We caught up with the speakers and sponsor of our event to learn more about what attendees can look forward to hearing on the day!

Sponsor

Bloomberg
Keynote speech

We are proud to welcome Bloomberg as our event sponsor. There will be a representative from Bloomberg participating in the welcome talk, delivering a talk at 2:40pm and taking part in our panel discussion.

Speakers

MathWorks
Laura Dempsey, Application Engineer

Following the welcome talk from our event sponsor, Laura from Mathworks will begin the live speaker sessions at 1pm. Her session will cover her personal reflections on transitioning from academia to industry, an insight into the “onramp” period at MathWorks and how her role and responsibilities have evolved over the past two years. – what the learning curve was like and how I was supported in the first six months.

What are you most looking forward to on the event day?
“I’m looking forward to answering challenging questions – I love having engaging discussions with women that want to pursue a STEM career.”

What do you love about your role or company?
“My company MathWorks makes MATLAB, a well-known numerical computing language. That means I get to interact with a huge number of scientists and engineers in a diverse range of industries: energy, medical devices, automotive, aerospace, and more. Application engineers must have technical skills and soft skills, and I feel very fortunate that MathWorks encourages me to grow in both areas.”

Why do you think getting more women working in technology is important?
“Technology has a huge impact on modern life, and it is vital that women are contributing their voices, talent and influence to this work.  We need women in tech – their diverse opinions, work practices, scientific/engineering skills and emotional intelligence are all huge assets to a company. Representation is important, and young students need role models to be able to visualize a satisfying career path in STEM. The more women that are employed by tech companies, the more we can increase the pressure on leadership to change “status quo” policies and work cultures that are detrimental to our careers.”

Do you have any tips for attendees before the event?
“Nobody likes job searching, so don’t be hard on yourself if it makes you anxious. Just keep applying and never let a “no” get you down – rejections often have nothing to do with you, even though this might be difficult to believe at the time! Don’t wait around for the “perfect” job (especially if it’s your first!), and apply even when you don’t tick all of the boxes. Look for opportunities that have high growth potential where you will be positively challenged.”

Gearset
Holly Bracewell, Customer Success Manager

Up next is Holly from Gearset. Starting at 1.20pm, her session is titled – ‘Fitting me, not ‘fitting in’: confidently occupying typically male spaces.’ She will cover her personal career path from studying humanities to entering a career in the masculine world of tech sales.

What are you most looking forward to on the event day?
“Chatting to the future women of tech and getting to hear more about other areas of the industry.”

Why do you think getting more women working into technology is important?
“I can’t do this question justice in a short answer. I guess a synopsis would be: I can’t think of a single reason why it’s anything less than vital!”

Do you have any tips for attendees before the event?
“Set alarms for the things you want to attend – it’s easy to lose track of time with virtual events.”

EY
Rachel Graham and Lucy Griffiths, Student Recruitment Team

Following on from Holly, we will welcome Rachel and Lucy from EY. They will be speaking together about what it takes to work in technology at EY and what opportunities they currently have available. This session will be a great insight into the application process, with hints and tips on how to be successful when applying for an internship or graduate programme.

What are you most looking forward to on the event day?
“We are looking forward to meeting so many interesting and engaged females from STEM backgrounds, especially on some new virtual careers fair tech!”

Why do you think getting more women working in technology is important?
“We believe that we do our best work when diverse teams of people bring together different perspectives, backgrounds and abilities and that includes having a good gender balance of our technology teams within EY.”

Do you have any tips for attendees before the event?
“Have a think about questions that you want answers to. They may be covered in the speaker sessions or panel, but also make use of the 1-1 networking opportunities to get the most out of the experience. Also – keep an open mind. There may be companies at the event that you wouldn’t have imagined working for, but this event could change your mind!”

What you’ve learnt during the pandemic?
“Resilience!  It’s been a strange few months but it’s shown us how adaptable we can all be to make things work in a new normal.”

Don’t miss Rachel and Lucy’s talk, it will begin promptly at 1.40pm.

Altius Data
Josie Park, Data Science Consultant

Our next speaker will be Josie Park, who has worked at Altius Data for the past 12 months. Taking place at 2pm, her speaker session will provide a perspective on what it is like transitioning from academia into working for a Consultancy as a Data Scientist. She will focus on the best ways to balance technical skills and people skills.

What are you most looking forward to on the event day?

“I’m really looking forward to meeting and talking to prospective and fellow STEM females! And trying to convince you all that Data Science is great!”

Why do you think getting more women into technology is important?

“This is an issue that is really close to my heart. In fact, I’ve recently written my first Medium article about the subject, so I won’t spoil it too much! But essentially, half of the population is female. If women are not represented, particularly in Data and AI, then businesses risk introducing bias into their decision making or missing out on half of their potential consumer base. The more diverse a team, the wider the range of perspectives that are considered.”

Do you have any tips for attendees?

“Showing up is half the battle! So that’s a great start. Do a bit of research about the speakers and companies that are attending. If you’re a bit nervous about asking a question during the event, that’s fine, we’ve all been there. But don’t be afraid to stick your head out and get in touch with people/companies that interest you after the event and mention what it was that interested you.”

Infosys
Sara Williams, Graduate Recruiter

Sara William will then present a session on the best ways to write a CV for a technical role. Beginning at 2.20pm, this will include invaluable information for anyone interested in a role at Infosys!

What type of topics can attendees expect to hear from you on the event day?
“I’ll be showing attendees how to best highlight their relevant technical skills on their CV, as well how to demonstrate some of the soft skills and competencies employers look for too.”

What are you most looking forward to on the event day?
“I’m really looking forward to meeting and engaging with students (albeit virtually) this is our first event of the autumn so we’re all just really excited to speak with students about potential careers!”

What you like most about your role?
“I really enjoy my role as I get to speak to people, often, at the beginning of their career. This can be a really big and important decision for many and it’s just a real pleasure to meet with people at this exciting stage and, hopefully, help them navigate to a role which is the right fit for them.”

Why do you think getting more women working in technology is important?
“I think it’s important for any sector to have a diverse mix of talent for a number of reasons. I think it’s particularly important for the technology sector as we’ve seen how diversity can drive innovation which is essential for any tech company’s success. There’s also so many different opportunities in this sector to get involved in that can offer a rich mix of experiences and career paths.”

Do you have any tips for attendees before the event?
“My tips would be do some research on the companies attending and try and stay curious about all of the companies attending. Ask questions and think about what you want to get out of the day too.”

What you’ve learnt during the pandemic?
“Something I will be taking away from the pandemic is the value of slowing down! I think I’ve suffered from, what I call, activity anxiety in the past.  Particularly living in London with so much on offer and friends scattered all over the capital there’s sometimes a feeling that you should be making the most of it and being out and about constantly. By being forced not to do some of those things has helped me re-connect with some old hobbies and learn some new ones too – I’m now proud to say I make a pretty good pretzel from scratch!”

Bloomberg
Daria Dobrzyniecka, Recruitment Team

Finally, Daria Dobrzyniecka from the Recruitment Team at Bloomberg will end the speaker session with a talk entitled- “Discover Bloomberg. An insight into our company and rules”. This will begin at 2.40pm, so don’t miss out!

What type of topics can attendees expect to hear from you on the event day?
“As Headline Sponsor of the event, Bloomberg will be taking part in multiple sessions throughout the event. You will be able to hear from current employees about their roles and their day-to-day. You will also hear from the Bloomberg Entry-Level recruitment team regarding our company and tips on applying for our roles!”

What are you most looking forward to on the event day?
“I am really looking forward to networking with many talented women and introducing them to or teaching them more about Bloomberg.”

What do you love about your role or company?
“I love working for Bloomberg as we have a wonderful culture and great colleagues! In terms of my role, working in entry-level recruitment means I get to meet lots of amazing students and recent graduates and help them to make important decisions regarding their career.”

Why do you think getting more women working in technology is important?
“I think equal representation among all sectors and industries is very important. I also know that diversity makes sense from a business perspective as different people from different backgrounds come to the table with different ideas and that helps us innovate and ensure we stay the market leader we are today. All diversity is very important to me personally and to us as a business, gender is just one facet of this!”

Do you have any tips for attendees before the event?
“Ask questions and be curious! Don’t go into the event with any expectations, get to know all the employers exhibiting and maybe you will end up learning about roles and opportunities you never expected!”

Alongside our event sponsor and speakers, KPMG, PA Consulting, ARM, Alacrity Foundation, Willmott Dixon, BAE Systems, Tessella, Gamesys, Nology, Gymshark, AWE and Abbott will also be exhibiting.

There will also be a panel session at 3pm where women working in technology will answer questions from the attendees, followed by an interview skills session hosted by Leadership Coach, Sarah Perugia at 3:30pm.

If you’re interested in starting your career in technology and would like to attend this event, there are still tickets available. Visit www.stemwomenevents.com to register for your ticket today!

There are also still a few spaces available for employers looking to exhibit at this event. Get in touch with Lauren at laurenj@stemwomen.co.uk for more information.