I left school at 16, was a single mum of three by 25, and went on to become a Professor of Computer Science, one of Forbes’ World Top 50 Women in Tech and in 2016 get an OBE from King Charles for “services to technology”.
My journey hasn’t followed a traditional path, and that experience is exactly what drives my work. I believe in the power of technology to transform lives and open up opportunity, especially for those who’ve been excluded, underestimated or overlooked.
I’ve led national campaigns like the campaign to save Bletchley Park, founded life-changing initiatives like BCSWomen and #techmums and retrained hundreds of women from underserved communities into tech through our award-winning TechUP programme at Durham University.
Today, I combine deep academic experience, grassroots impact, and global thought leadership to make tech more ethical, inclusive, and empowering for everyone, especially for people who’ve been told “you can’t.”
Because I know from experience: you can.