There are undoubtedly very many brilliant, dedicated women working in STEM right at this moment – blazing trails, exceeding expectations and all the while, representing encouraging and inspiring role models to the young women who will become our next generation of female engineers. At Naimuri we are immensely proud of our talented and passionate women and so, we’ve decided to showcase them and highlight their diverse backgrounds and the varying paths that have led them to become the successful women in IT that they are today…
Alice – Delivery Manager
I studied maths & physics at A-level but then completed a degree in philosophy, politics & economics in 1997. After completing some programming aptitude tests, I joined a graduate training scheme as a trainee Software Engineer. I had no previous coding or computing experience, other than using a word processor in a temping job! I spent a number of years building up experience on billing, customer management and interactive voice response systems, and was lucky enough to work on client sites around the world which gave me loads of great experiences (work-wise and culturally). Over time I’ve taken roles as a principal engineer, a testing manager, a trainer and a project / delivery manager, but still within software engineering. Some of my key interests these days are Agile software delivery, Kanban, and how to improve diversity in engineering by engaging more women and girls at all stages of recruitment and education.
Emma – Business Analyst
Not knowing what I wanted to do at University, I entered the IT industry through a two year higher level apprenticeship in Computing and Systems Development. I was the only female in my group of new starters out of 5 and since then I’ve progressed to the role of a Business Analyst, working as the middle (wo)man between end users and the development team. Despite not having an academic background that includes the usual STEM qualifications, I’m a keen problem solver and have a creative mind-set, which can be invaluable when it comes to the design of a successful computer system. I have learnt so much in the last 5 years, not only the techniques and practices required to carry out my day job but also life skills and confidence. I believe these were strengthened by having women in positions of authority throughout my time in the IT industry so far, acting as role models.
Rebecca – Naimuri Intern
I am currently studying for a Masters in Mathematics, during which I have been introduced to various software and ideas surrounding cyber security – the maths behind RSA encryption. The latter piqued my interest, which prompted me to take up an internship with Naimuri to see if it was something I wanted to pursue. During my time at school, I have always had a knack for picking up new languages very quickly, and didn’t realise that this could be extended to things like Python, LaTEX, or R until I started my degree. Currently, I know I definitely want to stay on a STEM career path, I know I’ll never be bored!
Shabnam – Test Analyst
During resitting GCSEs at a local college I was curious about computers and how they worked and walked into an A-Level class where Visual Basic programming was being taught. I instantly loved the way the logic was used to manipulate data and action events to occur, it felt almost like playing a puzzle. This made me want to learn more and hence I decided that I wanted to work with computers. This curiosity has led me to also take a Comptia N+ course which I studied at home whilst working full time and then decided to go back into full-time education to complete a degree in software engineering. I have also had an interest in Cyber Security/Hacking and worked as a Tester for a cyber security company during my university placement. I am now working full time at Naimuri, testing the Naimuri cyber security tool.
Rachel – Naimuri Director
After graduating from University in 1996 with a degree in International Politics, I fell into software engineering after originally being told it was ‘too hard’ for someone who did not have an engineering degree. After spending a year in an administrative role and learning how to write macros for spreadsheets and documents to make my life easier, I decided perhaps it wasn’t that hard after all and moved from an administrative role to be a Software Engineer. Since then I’ve worked in roles across the software engineering life cycle, making many mistakes which in turn led to better ways of doing things and so becoming an enthusiast for continuous improvement. In 2015 I founded our software engineering company and would love for more women to join our amazing group of people.
Aida – Technical Architect
I always knew I wanted to do engineering. At university I did Computer Systems Engineering, which combined Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and Computer Science. When I graduated and started to look for work, I checked both engineering and IT roles, and found an IT job first. So, about 20 years later, and a variety of roles within IT, a variety of sectors and industries, my main focus is cyber security. I sometimes wonder what a job in engineering would’ve been like, but I have absolutely enjoyed every aspect of my IT job. At university, out of 105 students in the School of Engineering, 6 were women – at the time this didn’t mean anything to me, but now one of my key interests is to encourage more women to join STEM fields.
Marie – Test Analyst
In 2011, having come from an entirely non-technical role in the NHS, I got my first job as a Test Analyst. With no previous technical experience I was not at all sure in my ability to fulfil what I’d signed up for! Before I started the role, in order to build a base understanding, I took (and thankfully passed) the foundation level software testing qualification. Once I started, despite it being drastically different to what I was used to and a very steep learning curve, I enjoyed that I was constantly challenging myself and felt accomplished as I saw my skillset broaden. I’ve continued to pick up new technical skills since then – admittedly, some have taken much longer than others to master, but I know eventually, if I put the effort in, I’ll get there in the end. I’ve been really fortunate, gaining all the opportunities I could have wanted in my career so far and I hope for this to continue in the future.
Naimuri provides a range of innovative technology and consultancy services in highly secure environments to both central government and industry. We are committed to building and nurturing a diverse and inclusive environment to support our outstanding females and we’re always on the look-out for talented women. If that’s you, we look forward to your application to join us – send your CV to yourfuture@naimuri.com
