Anne-Marie Imafidon

I love working in technology. I love being a woman in tech.

I loved the feeling I got as a 4 year old when I saved my version of little Red Riding Hood on my dad’s computer. I also really enjoyed taking his VCR apart and putting it back together. Aged 10 I'd spend hours building websites and putting together clever database schemas to store masses of information. For me technology has always been about solving problems using creativity.

I love the feeling I get when I purchase a domain, publish a new website or finish off an app prototype. It still amazes me that others can visit that domain and see my handy work, or navigate the app without instructions from me. Being able to create new layouts, use colours and play with graphics is a huge part of the experience. There are endless possibilities for the creations you can make.

I love that carrying my iPad and mobile phone with me means that I can work from anywhere at any time. Sometimes no-one knows where I’m sending an email from, or joining a call from and most of the time they don't care. It's only on the times that I'm sat next to a building site that someone might ask 'Where are you?!'. I'm also able to communicate with people in other languages without the need for a translator.

I love working with our social platform at work and the way we’ve been able to connect thousands of people across the world within our company. These people are able to find information, find colleagues and ask questions so easily using the technology. Some of them have found new jobs, found new passions and discovered new skills using the technology. At work I'm able to regularly create infographics and electronic reports showing the data we collect on the platform - these help decision makers make better decisions.

I love introducing girls to my technology world - I especially love the expressions on their faces as they create their first app or publish their first game. This is made possible by the people at the companies who support my work and the work of Stemettes volunteers. It's an incredible atmosphere in the room when Stemettes get together to talk ‘Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics - STEM’ with girls. The project and my career have opened up many travel opportunities for me - trips in London, to Glasgow, Brussels and further afield to the States - all physically made possible by engineers and technologists. On one occasion I was even picked up by a limo from the airport!

I love the amazing people working in STEM - from those in my team to greats like Mae Jemison the first black woman in space to Athene Donald a senior professor of Physics at Cambridge to Tech CEOs like Alicia Navarro founder of Skimlinks. A lot of these people love science and technology as much as I do.

I love that a simple post published on my blog reaches so many people, that I don’t always know who has read it, why they’ve enjoyed it or who they’ve passed it onto. I’m able to connect so easily with likeminded people via my followers on Twitter. I’m kept up to date with former classmates and close ex-colleagues via Facebook. I get daily inspiration and motivation from Tumblr. New notes in Evernote automatically know which meeting I’m sat in. I can keep professional acquaintances up-to-date with my latest publications via LinkedIn.

I love the technology I carry around with me each day. My Jawbone UP tracks the steps I take and quality of my sleep, without intruding on my life. The on-board GPS, accelerometers and gyrometers on my mobile devices help the apps I use regularly to help me. I don’t need to carry a separate camera, notebook or torch around each day.

I love being a woman in tech. And most of all I love working in technology.