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20 May 2010 12:19:50
Graduate Andrea Donafee has combined her interest in computers and business to build a successful career with a multi-million pound firm involved in the cash management industry.
As Managing Director of CMS, Andrea devises sophisticated mathematical models and operational profiling to plot the movement of cash around the supply chain from secure storage facilities to banks and high street retailers and back again. Working with some of the big banks and UK retailers, including Sainsbury’s, McDonald’s and Travelex, CMS helps clients forecast the cash they need to operate without holding too much which costs them money.
Andrea, who did a maths and computer science PhD at the University of Bedfordshire, returned to Luton to address the University’s inaugural Women in IT conference organised by Dr Paul Sant, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science.
The aim of the event was to highlight some of the diverse career opportunities that are available to people interested in pursuing a career in IT – from media, filmmaking and gaming to bio-technology, commerce and programming – and discuss some of the perceived barriers that stop women going into the profession. The audience included a number of young women from Luton 6th Form College studying information and communication technologies.
Also speaking at the event was Reena Pau from Southampton University, whose postgraduate research focuses on the factors influencing female students’ choices of a career in IT. Reena estimated, for instance, that only one in five people working in technology is a woman and a smaller number is studying the subject at University. “The national curriculum is about using computing tools rather than creating them,” she said. “It is a very rewarding and diverse profession. There are a lot of opportunities out there, it can be an exciting career, and people can use IT to make a difference.”
The event was rounded off with a talk by Kelly Androutsopoulos, a research associate at King’s College London who talked about some of the well-known female role models and the practical applications of IT-related research. Visitors were also given a group tour of the University’s Computer Science and Technology labs. Describing the event as “exciting and productive”, Professor James Crabbe Dean of Creative Arts, Technologies and Science said he hoped a similar conference could be held next year.
Paul
Sant said: “The event was thought provoking and highlighted some of the
important ‘barriers’ perceived by the participants and also the need for grassroots initiatives involving visits to local schools.
“We hope to link our conference to local and national initiatives and thereby
encourage more female role models into IT.”
