Accenture – International Women’s Day: How Far Can You Go?

<Mentor>

Alessandra Zanetti

Strategy Manager - Accenture

@_a_zanetti LinkedIn

Focus:"How far can you go?"

Alessandra works in Products, Consumer Goods industry group in London. An active member of the Strategy Accent on Gender team - a network that promotes gender diversity and equality within the workplace - she leads their Communication agenda. She also mentored young women for "How far can you go" - Accenture's International Women's Day event with ThinkNation, held at the IET in London.

<Speaker>

Alexandra Wajayanti

Student

LinkedIn

Talk:"We need to take away the hierarchy of science over art"

Using Leonardo De Vinci as inspiration, Alexandra explored what can we learn from the Renaissance and creativity, challenging present education expectations and highlighting the power of learning more than just a few ‘focused’ subjects.

<Mentor>

Amanda Leacy

Accenture Global HR Managing Director – Inclusion and Diversity

LinkedIn

Focus:"How far can you go?"

Amanda is Global Inclusion and Diversity HR Lead at Accenture. She and her team seek out new, innovative solutions to help create change in Accenture’s Inclusion and Diversity journey. She also mentored young women for "How far can you go" - Accenture's International Women's Day event with ThinkNation, held at the IET in London.

<Speaker>

Fatima Kissi Traore

Application Developer

LinkedIn

Talk:"Be someone's lifejacket"

Fatima's personal story shows how self-belief (and incredible support from others) can change a life: When she arrived in the UK in 2012 as a teenager, Fatima was unaccompanied and unable to speak the language. In under six months she learned English, studied hard and now works in tech as an Accenture apprentice. She's committed to inspire young women to go wherever their determination takes them.

<Advisory Board>

Ameenah Begum

Product Design Student

LinkedIn

Undergraduate student studying Product Design at the University of Sussex, Ameenah got her industrial placement year with ENGIE UK in Product Development within the Central Innovation Team after participating in a ThinkNation event.

<Mentor>

Annie Gardner

Managing Director - Accenture

LinkedIn

Focus:"How far can you go?"

Over her 25 years at Accenture, Annie's role has evolved from coding and testing, to managing large-scale projects that help Accenture clients achieve their goals. She now focuses on client relationships and leads a talented global team of 350 people. She also mentored young women for ThinkNation's Accenture "How far can you go?" International Women's Day event at the IET in London.

<Speaker>

Bethanie Fentiman

Programming and technical apprentice

@bfentiman http://kentraspberryjams.co.uk/

Talk:"We’re going to go as far as we need to... one starfish at a time”

Bethanie Fentiman is a Raspberry Pi Jambassador and organiser of Kent Jams where she teaches young people the basics of programming. Currently a programming and technical apprentice, Bethanie has a strong interest in wearable tech which she hopes to pursue. In her ThinkNation talk, she and Jade Emmons explored how their ‘can do’ mentality helped forge their way into STEM-related work.

<Mentor>

Billie Sequeira

Engineering Technician - BAE Systems

@billieseq LinkedIn

Billie first became involved with ThinkNation as a young speaker and has now come full circle to be a Mentor. "ThinkNation gave me a voice and opportunities to learn new skills which I now put into practice in my employment at a large Engineering company in Kent."

<Host>

Billie JD Porter

Writer, filmmaker and TV presenter

@billiejdporter

Passionate about empowering young people and giving them a voice on issues that matter to them, Billie is a critically acclaimed writer, documentary film maker and presenter for organisations including BBC 3 and Channel 4.

<Mentor>

Catie Manning

Rally Driver

@catierallye1 http://www.catiemunnings.com/

Focus:"How far can you go?"

Catie is a British Rally Driver as well as Peugeot UK Ambassador. She took the 2016 FIA Ladies European Rally Champion title and is continuing to compete in European races. An advocate of women in tech and engineering, Catie participated in Accenture's "How far can you go" IWD event as a mentor and panelist.

<Speaker>

Emma Deacon

Technologist

LinkedIn

Talk:“Invest in taking risks”

Emma has her own hardware technology company through UCL’s accelerator programme. She's also a teacher and curriculum contributor to Code First Girls and a blogger for SheCanCode. She didn't have a direct path into tech. She had to fight her way in. She had to take risks. Her “How far can you go?” highlights the power of curiosity, and determination.

<Speaker>

Jade Emmons

Freelance writer/marketer

@jadeemmons

With a background in science and data marketing, Jade is passionate about encouraging young people to take up STEM subjects. She delivered a ThinkNation talk alongside Bethanie Fentiman. Together they explored how their ‘can do’ mentality helped forge their way into STEM-related work.

<Advisory Board>

Envy

Musician, performer and youth worker

@envysays

Envy is a passionate musician, performer and youth worker helping pioneer Manchester’s grime/hip hop scene. She’s played festivals including BBC’s Big Weekend. Presently host of Manchester’s Unity Radio’s Saturday morning show, her track ‘Normal’ was used on the soundtrack to Adidas "Creating Chaos" global football campaign.

<Mentor>

Mary Firth

Head of Content & Marketing Services at ‎Accenture Interactive

LinkedIn

Focus:How far can you go?

Mary helps clients use digital to transform, grow and innovate. She was a mentor for ThinkNation's Accenture "How far can you go?" International Women's Day event at the IET in London.

<Mentor>

Gen Ashley

Director of Women Who Code London

@coderinheels

Focus:"How far can you go?"

Gen a Lead for Google Women Techmakers, NASA Space Apps Challenge and Twitter Developer Community London. She is also part of the leadership committee for Ada's List (a network for women in technology). An advocate of women in tech and engineering, Gen participated in Accenture's "How far can you go" IWD event as a mentor and panelist.

<Mentor>

Lara Longhurst

SuccessFactors & SAP HCM UKI Lead at Accenture

LinkedIn

Focus:How far can you go?

In addition to working on technology projects for clients across multiple industries, Lara is Accenture’s Accent on Gender sponsor within Accenture Technology in the UK, responsible for creating a community and support network focused on the retention and advancement of women within Accenture Technology. Lara was a mentor at ThinkNation's Accenture "How far can you go?" International Women's Day.

<Mentor>

Leigh Walters-James

Managing Director at Accenture

@leighwj LinkedIn

Focus:How far can you go?

A mentor at ThinkNation's Accenture "How far can you go?" International Women's Day, Mark brought with him a broad range of experience through his work at Accenture including teaching negotiation skills to executives across the whole of Accenture.

<Mentor>

Gavin Young

Senior Manager at Accenture

@gavinayoung LinkedIn

Focus:"How far can you go?"

Gavin works in Accenture’s Communications, Media & Technology (CMT) Sales Team. He focuses on leading and negotiating high-value, complex projects. He's also the deputy lead for Accenture’s African and Caribbean Network, with over 250 members. He also mentored young women for ThinkNation's Accenture "How far can you go?" International Women's Day event at the IET in London.

<Mentor>

Mark Insch

Managing Director Energy, Utilities, Chemicals and Natural Resources at Accenture

@Markinsch LinkedIn

Focus::How far can you go?

Mentoring young women for ThinkNation's Accenture "How far can you go?" International Women's Day event at the IET in London, Mark works with clients to help them transform their business. He focuses on Energy, Utilities, Chemicals and Natural Resources companies.

<Mentor>

Martin Willis

Comedian, writer and educator

@martiniswillis

Focus:How far can you go?

Armed with a diverse range of experience in education, the performance arts and comedy, Martin supported young people at "How far can you go?" as part of Accenture's International Women's Day efforts.