ISSUE 48/DEC2022 - Flipbook - Page 66
Africa’s Most Influential Women | EVERYDAY HEROES
Technology is Not
A Niche Side Gig
Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon’s goal is to empower women to have more
agency in their lives through STEM literacy and know-how in a world
that’s increasingly defined and influenced by technology. In her new
book, She’s In CTRL, she makes a case for women to be bold, loud,
daring and curious as they engage with tech. In this interview, she tells
us why it is critical to have women in all spaces where decisions are
made in the tech industry and how they can subvert gatekeepers.
Interview by Belinda Otas | Photos by Sam & Simon Photography
A prodigy and pioneer, Dr Anne-Marie
Imafidon made history as the youngest girl
to pass A-level computing at the age of 11.
At 20, she graduated from Oxford University
with a Master’s Degree in Mathematics and
Computer Science. Imafidon would go on to
work at leading global financial intuitions
like Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank.
A strong advocate for women’s inclusion in
science and tech, Imafidon is the founder
of Stemettes, an award-winning social
enterprise empowering and supporting
young women into Science, Technology,
Engineering and Maths careers (STEM).
Beyond the traditional subjects of STEM,
Stemettes goes a step further to include the
arts, and aims to engage, inform and connect
the next generation of women into Science,
Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths
(STEAM). Stemettes has exposed more than
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60,000 girls across Europe to Imafidon’s
vision for a more diverse and balanced
science and tech community.
A respected thoughtleader, Imafidon’s
expertise and voice is sought after on the
topics of A.I., tech, social entrepreneurship,
diversity and the future of work. A Maths
whizz, she was earlier this year, a stand-in
Arithmetician on UK’s Channel 4’s flagship
brainy game show, Countdown.
In 2017, Imafidon became an Honorary
Fellow at Keble College, Oxford. In 2020,
she was voted the most influential woman
in tech in the UK by Computer Weekly.
Imafidon’s first book, She’s In CTRL, which
gives women a step-by-step guide for taking
back tech and encourages them to be active
participants, not just consumers in the digital
world was published in 2022. ▶