Episodes
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Today at the Sisters in Tech table, we welcome Shayanna Sims, a UX Program Manager at YouTube.
You can follow Shayanna on social media:
LinkedIn: Shayanna Sims
TikTok: @shayanna.shamar
Twitter: @_itwasntSHAY
To connect with Sisters in Tech:
Follow us on Instagram: @sistersintech
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Today at the Sisters in Tech table, we welcome Li Wilkins-Tate, a Recruiting Coordinator at Discord.
Originally from the Midwest and now located in New York, Li’s route into tech wasn’t a straight path. From a young age, Li knew she wanted to help people in whatever way she could. Li originally studied for a degree in nursing, but soon realised nursing was not for her. Eventually, Li went to Grad School for College Student Personnel and Student Affairs. Following on from her degrees, Li went on to her first professional job working in higher education, and that gave her a taste of recruiting and HR. Li discovered what she truly enjoyed - helping people get jobs and helping them to feel valued during the interview process. Li then decided to transition to the tech world and make an impact using the skills she had acquired. Li now works as a Recruiting Coordinator at Discord, ensuring candidates feel seen, heard, and valued throughout the interview and hiring process. Listen to this episode to learn more about Li’s journey and her role as a Recruiting Coordinator.
You can follow Li on social media:
LinkedIn: Li Wilkins-Tate Twitch: ohsnapitsliTwitter @OhsnapitsLiInstagram: @ohsnapitsliTo connect with Sisters in Tech:
Follow us on Instagram: @sistersintechFollow us on Twitter: @sistersintechFollow us on LinkedIn: Sisters in TechCheck out our website: sistersin.tech -
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Today at the Sisters in Tech table, we welcome Sandra Okoli, a Web Engineer at ASOS.
Sandra started her journey into tech as a Digital Marketing Executive. During this time, Sandra was exposed to the world of web as managing a website was part of her role. Sandra soon became fascinated with websites, which ignited a spark in her and led her to pursue a career in Web Development. To acquire the skills needed, Sandra did General Assembly’s (GA) part-time Front-End Web Development course and then their 12-week Web Development Immersive course. She learned how to code and learned the fundamentals of programming and Web Development. A year after GA, Sandra became a Graduate Web Engineer at ASOS on their graduate scheme.
Sandra has been at ASOS ever since and currently works as a Web Engineer, working on features that most of us have probably used whilst browsing the ASOS site/app. Listen to this episode to learn more about Sandra’s journey and her work at ASOS.
You can follow Sandra on social media:
LinkedIn: Sandra OkoliTwitter: @introducing_soTo connect with Sisters in Tech:
Follow us on Instagram: @sistersintechFollow us on Twitter: @sistersintechFollow us on LinkedIn: Sisters in TechCheck out our website: sistersin.tech -
Today at the Sisters in Tech table, we welcome Kelsey Robb, a Creator Partnerships Manager at TikTok UK.
Kelsey's entry point into tech was through her Marketing Degree at Lancaster University. Whilst at University, Kelsey attended and was the President of the Advertising Society. The Advertising Society gave Kelsey a great insight into the world, the advertising industry and most importantly, it helped her to start networking. After her degree, Kelsey landed an internship at Starling Bank, whilst there she worked as a Digital Marketing Intern and an Interim Executive Assistant to the CEO. The internship allowed Kelsey to translate everything she'd learnt on her course into the real world. Following on from her internship, Kelsey got her first job in the tech world, working as an Associate Account Strategist at Google. Kelsey worked at Google for just under three years, and in that time, she built on her experience, expanded her network and gained insight into how tech works at an international company.
Kelsey now works as a Creator Partnerships Manager at TikTok UK, working on events such as COP26, Black History Month, Pride and Women's History Month. Kelsey is doing great work managing UK creators in the news, activism and education spaces and showing that there's so much more to tech than coding! Listen to this episode to learn more about Kelsey's journey and her role as a Creator Partnerships Manager.
You can follow Kelsey on social media:
LinkedIn: Kelsey RobbInstagram:: @kelsey_robb_krTwitter: @kelsey_ksrTikTok: @kelsey_robbTo connect with Sisters in Tech:
Follow us on Instagram: @sistersintechFollow us on Twitter: @sistersintechFollow us on LinkedIn: Sisters in TechCheck out our website: sistersin.tech -
Today at the Sisters in Tech table, we welcome Uyai Effiong, a Merchant Success Manager at Shopify.
Uyai’s journey into tech began when she started studying for a degree in Computer Science at the University of Texas, Austin. After two semesters, Uyai realised that Computer Science was not for her. Going from the frying pan into the fire, Uyai switched to Chemical Engineering, and as a practical, hands-on person, she found it to be a much better fit for her. Following her degree, Uyai held numerous roles, and a core theme running through her career has been her enjoyment of working with businesses of different sizes.
Uyai now works as a Merchant Success Manager at Shopify. She helps larger businesses on Shopify with their strategy and helps them figure out ways to better leverage the platform. Listen to this episode to learn more about Uyai’s journey and her role as a Merchant Success Manager.
You can follow Uyai on social media:
LinkedIn: Uyai EffiongTwitter: @yoowaiTo connect with Sisters in Tech:
Follow us on Instagram: @sistersintechFollow us on Twitter: @sistersintechFollow us on LinkedIn: Sisters in TechCheck out our website: sistersin.tech -
Today at the Sisters in Tech Table, we welcome Rizel Scarlett, a Developer Advocate at GitHub, a web platform for developers.
Rizel studied computer information systems at a community college and started working as a help desk technician at HubSpot. Whilst working at HubSpot, Rizel overheard people talking about software engineering, and she soon became interested in learning how to code.
Rizel attended a non-profit coding bootcamp called Resilient Coders, located in Boston. Once she had finished Resilient Coders, Rizel landed an internship at Formlabs, a 3D printing startup. Rizel’s internship lasted three months, and after that, she got another internship at Veson Nautical, where she ended up staying and working full time.
Rizel now works as a Developer Advocate at GitHub. Outside of her day job, Rizel is an advisor at G{Code}, a free program designed to give young women and non-binary people of colour between the ages of 18 to 25 first exposure to coding to uncover interest and aptitude in tech. Rizel’s non-traditional path into tech ignited her passion for empowering and supporting other young women and non-binary people of colour to pursue careers in tech.
You can follow Rizel on social media:
LinkedIn: Rizel ScarlettInstagram: @blackgirlbytesTwitter: @blackgirlbytesFacebook: rizelbobbTo connect with Sisters in Tech:
Follow us on Instagram: @sistersintechFollow us on Twitter: @sistersintechFollow us on LinkedIn: Sisters in Tech -
Today at the Sisters in Tech table, we welcome Fadzai Angelina Kazarema, International User Acquisition Lead at Headspace.
Ange studied Advertising and Media at University. After graduating, Ange worked as a Digital Account Executive for an advertising integrated agency, and this is where Ange really got involved with tech. Whilst working at the advertising agency, Ange was introduced to Digital Advertising, where they helped with content management and developed digital ads. Working in Digital Advertising made Ange realise that they were not in their perfect role and wanted to be involved in making products for clients and problem-solving. In order to do more self-reflection, they decided to take a year off and travel to China. While there, Ange taught and did research for telecommunication companies like Nokia and Siemens in their spare time.
During their time in China, Ange created a skills-based CV, and it was through this, Ange found a path into roles such as an Optimisation Analyst at Yahoo and Paid Media Growth Marketing at PayPal. Ange now works as an International User Acquisition Lead at Headspace. In this podcast episode, Ange shares their journey and shows how they use tech to impact people’s lives through meditation and wellness.
LinkedIn: Fadzai Ange KInstagram: @angekazlnd
You can follow Ange on social media:To connect with Sisters in Tech:
Follow us on Instagram: @sistersintechFollow us on Twitter: @sistersintechFollow us on LinkedIn: Sisters in TechCheck out our website: sistersin.tech -
Today at the Sisters in Tech table, we welcome Jessica Udo, a Product Manager at Microsoft.
Jessica was born and raised in Nigeria but is currently based in Vancouver, Western Canada. Jessica’s interest in tech started at a young age when she used to play games on her dad’s desktop computer. She would go on to take computer studies classes in high school. She applied to University with the dream of working in Silicon Valley at companies like Microsoft and Google. Jessica started studying Software Engineering at McGill university but halfway switched to Electrical and Software Engineering. Straight after university and with the power of networking, Jessica landed her first job at Microsoft as a Program Manager.
Jessica now works as a Product Manager at Microsoft. Outside of her day job, Jessica is the Chair of the Africans at Microsoft Employee Network. She also spends time volunteering with the African Impact Initiative, an organisation dedicated to impacting the African continent through its young innovators. Listen to this episode to learn more about Jessica's role and journey into the Tech World.
Instagram: @jesi_karTwitter: @jess_udo LinkedIn: Jessica Udo
You can follow Jessica on social media:
Follow us on Instagram: @sistersintechFollow us on Twitter: @sistersintechFollow us on LinkedIn: Sisters in TechCheck out our website: sistersin.tech
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Today at the Sisters in Tech table, we welcome Hannah Fisayo, an account executive at Snapchat.
American by birth, Nigerian by ethnicity and British by residence, Hannah’s journey to tech was not through the traditional route. Hannah loved learning about politics in sixth form and it’s no surprise that she went on to study political science at Durham University. During her Easter and Summer breaks, Hannah would do internships to learn new skills. One of the internships was at Tech Will Save Us, a toy company that teaches children under 12 how to code. Hannah was an intern on the marketing team and through this, she learnt key skills which have helped her in her current role today. In her final year of university, Hannah browsed through LinkedIn and came across a job at Meta (formerly Facebook). Hannah thought she’d give it a try just to see and eventually managed to secure a job as a Strategic Marketing Partner. Two years later, Hannah moved to TikTok working as a Brand Partnerships Manager looking after CBG and FMCG clients.
Hannah is now an Account Executive at Snapchat, looking after beauty, luxury and fashion clients in Europe. Listen to this episode to find out more about Hannah’s role and journey into the Tech World.
You can follow Hannah on social media:
Instagram: @naomifisayo LinkedIn: Hannah Naomi FisayoBrown Sugar: The Podcast Instagram: @brownsugarpodBrown Sugar: The Podcast: Brown Sugar: The PodcastTo connect with Sisters in Tech:
Follow us on Instagram: @sistersintechFollow us on Twitter: @sistersintechFollow us on LinkedIn: Sisters in Tech -
Today at the Sisters in Tech table, we welcome Addy Awofisayo, Head of Music for Sub-Saharan Africa at Youtube.
Addy started her career in tech at Microsoft, working in Finance. However, after four years, Addy came to the realisation that Finance was not for her. Not knowing what she wanted to go on to do, Addy took a year off and spent her time working at the Clinton Foundation in Jamaica, where she supported the strengthening of the healthcare system in an HIV clinic. Whilst there, Addy discovered that she liked doing hands-on jobs, solving problems, coming up with and implementing solutions. All of these skills led Addy to Grad School, where she did a Masters in Public Policy. There still remained the issue of what career she wanted to do. At the time, one of Addy’s professors was working on an entertainment project which looked at how media influences public policy. This interested Addy, and she started working with him on an MTV Shuga project. This project launched Addy into the media and entertainment space, and she hasn’t looked back!
Addy is now responsible for championing African music at YouTube as the Head of Music for Sub-Saharan Africa. Listen to this episode to find out more about Addy’s journey and how she is elevating musicians from Sub-Saharan Africa and impacting the world.
You can follow Addy on social media:
LinkedIn: Addy AwofisayoInstagram: @addyawoTwitter: @AddyAwoTo connect with Sisters in Tech:
Follow us on Instagram: @sistersintechFollow us on Twitter: @sistersintechFollow us on LinkedIn: Sisters in TechCheck out our website: sistersin.tech -
Today at the Sisters in Tech table, we welcome Samantha Imafidon, a Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft.
A passion for maths at a young age led Samantha to the world of tech. Samantha took the traditional route into tech by doing a Computer Science degree. However, after doing an internship at an investment bank and experiencing coding in the workplace, Samantha knew that coding 9-5 was not for her. She still liked technology but wanted to focus more on people. Luckily, she discovered the client-facing side of tech and, after graduating, got her first job as a Technical Account Manager at Microsoft.
Three years later, Samantha now works as a Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft. Away from her 9-5 job. Samantha describes herself as a ‘tech creative’ and uses her platform Becoming Samantha to share her journey through tech and her life learnings with those who also want to find their seat at the tech table.
You can follow Samantha on social media:
Linkedin: Samantha ImafidonInstagram: @becomingsamantha_TikTok: @becomingsamanthaSign up for Samantha’s newsletter here: Becoming SamanthaTo connect with Sisters in Tech:
Follow us on Instagram: @sistersintechFollow us on Twitter: @sistersintechFollow us on LinkedIn: Sisters in TechCheck out our website: sistersin.tech -
Today at the Sisters in Tech table, we welcome Mariam Braimah, a Product Designer at Netflix, an American subscription streaming service and production company.
Born and raised in New York, Mariam, who is of Nigerian descent, gained an interest in architecture whilst growing up in Long Island.Mariam pursued her interest by doing an undergraduate degree in History of Art & Architecture at Harvard University. Over the course of her university experience, Mariam pivoted to Design and developed a passion for User Interface Design.
Mariam found her way to the tech hub of San Francisco and eventually got a role at Netflix, where she has been for the last five years. Not only has Mariam found her own seat at the tech table, her design program, the Kimoyo Fellowship, is helping Africa’s next generation of product designers find their seats at the tech table.
In this episode, we dive into Mariam’s amazing journey.
You can follow Mariam on social media:
LinkedIn: Mariam Braimah Twitter: @mbraimah_Kimoyo Insights Website: kimoyoinsights.comTwitter: @KimoyoInsightsKimoyo Fellowship Website: kimoyofellowship.orgTwitter: @kimoyofellowsInstagram: @kimoyofellowship
Follow us on Instagram: @sistersintechFollow us on Twitter: @sistersintechFollow us on LinkedIn: Sisters in TechCheck out our website: sistersin.tech
To connect with Sisters in Tech: -
Today at the Sisters in Tech table, we welcome Ryan Barner, a software engineer at Lyft.
LinkedIn: Ryan Barner
Ryan is a California native, born and raised in Los Angeles (LA) but now based in San Francisco. On starting college, Ryan had an interest in Computer Science, but after one class staring at the black and green terminal screen, she switched to Economics. Her passion never went away and thus began a journey of personal and professional discovery. In this podcast episode, Ryan shares how she rediscovered her passion and earned a role in software engineering.
You can follow Ryan on social media:To connect with Sisters in Tech:
Follow us on Instagram: @sistersintechFollow us on Twitter: @sistersintechFollow us on LinkedIn: Sisters in TechCheck out our website: sistersin.tech -
Today at the Sisters in Tech table, we welcome Leena Taha, a content designer at Transport for London.
Instagram: @leena.lovesLinkedIn: Leena Taha
After studying for a degree in History, Leena found herself working at a fashion startup, writing product descriptions for items of clothing. At first, Leena did not realise that she had started on a career path, but what she did see very quickly was the potential of the tech space and the benefit of learning tech skills. In this podcast episode, Leena shares her journey and shows how she has used her gift with words and skills in building relationships to carve out a unique career in the tech space.
You can follow Leena on social media:
Follow us on Instagram: @sistersintechFollow us on Twitter: @sistersintechFollow us on LinkedIn: Sisters in TechCheck out our website: sistersin.tech
To connect with Sisters in Tech: -
Today at the Sisters in Tech table, we welcome Clorama Dorvilias, a product manager at Oculus VR, which is a subsidiary of Facebook Inc.
Twitter: @CreativeClo Instagram: @ClobamaLinkedIn: Clorama DorviliasWebsite: creativeclo.com
A California girl born and raised in San Jose, Clorama’s passion for grassroots social justice projects inspired her early explorations into tech. After graduating from college, she moved to New York and began her life as a young professional. However, various disappointments in the city forced her to look into other avenues of work, and this led to her discovery of graphic design. Clorama’s love for graphic design soon pivoted into an obsession with all things tech, and this in turn inspired her to travel the world as she offered her services to different organisations. She eventually settled down in England, UK, where she pursued a master’s in education design at the University of the Arts London (UAL) and carved out a niche in virtual reality (VR).
Now back in her native California, Clorama is a staunch advocate for the implementation of digital media into community-led movements as well as the unexplored merits of VR. She is also using her experiences in Silicon Valley — both at Oculus and as the founder of Debias VR — to unveil more opportunities in tech for women of colour and other marginalized people.
You can follow Clorama on social media:To connect with Sisters in Tech:
Follow us on Instagram: @sistersintechFollow us on Twitter: @sistersintechFollow us on LinkedIn: Sisters in TechCheck out our website: sistersin.tech -
Today at the Sisters in Tech table, we welcome Linda Agbontaen, a senior UX design consultant at financial services consultancy firm, Capco.
LinkedIn: Linda Agbontaen
Born and raised in London, Linda's journey into the tech industry was not a conventional one. In her final year of studying psychology in university, a module on technology in the workplace piqued her interest in how human behaviour ties in with UX design. A graduate scheme at American Express then helped her further explore this link as she took on different digital roles in the finance sector.
Now with at least seven years' experience in the digital finance industry, Linda opens up on prepping for a tech interview, the three pillars of UX consulting, building confidence as you work and finding balance as an industry professional. She also talks about her desire to become a role model in the UX design field and her future plans to scale financial wellbeing schemes to the overall community.
You can follow Linda on social media:To connect with Sisters in Tech:
Follow us on Instagram: @sistersintechFollow us on Twitter: @sistersintechFollow us on LinkedIn: Sisters in TechCheck out our website: sistersin.tech -
Today at the Sisters in Tech table, we welcome Nikkia Reveillac, Head of Research at Twitter, a company that seeks to give everyone the power to create and share ideas and information instantly without barriers
Twitter: @nikkastarLinkedIn: Nikkia Reveillac
A passion for dance led Nikkia to pursue a career in dance early in her professional life. She has now translated her innate desire to move people to the world of business. Throughout her career, Nikkia has been motivated by a desire to tell stories and make people feel something.
Immediately prior to working in Tech, Nikkia worked at Colgate-Palmolive. Although hers was not initially a tech role, Nikkia tells a wonderful story of the importance of raising your hand in order to gain new experiences and skills that will aid your power moves. Now, as a senior leader at Twitter, Nikkia is at the very centre of important conversations that affect us all. Nikkia shares just what it's like to be working at such an important company and driving impact for herself and the teams she leads in the midst of a pandemic and global justice movements. Her passion and commitment to mentoring and supporting those coming behind her mean that not only has Nikkia secured her seat, she is also pulling out chairs and making room for other women to take a seat at the tech table.
You can follow Nikkia on social media:
Follow us on Instagram: @sistersintechFollow us on Twitter: @sistersintechFollow us on LinkedIn: Sisters in TechCheck out our website: sistersin.tech
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Today at the Sisters in Tech table, we welcome Ezim Amaka, a talent acquisition partner at LinkedIn, a company that seeks to connect the world's professionals to make them more productive and successful.
A passion for fashion led Ezim to study Retail and Business Management at university. By leveraging her network Ezim secured a job in fashion buying at shoe brand Kurt Geiger. Later, her own career conversations inspired her to explore opportunities and eventually get a job in HR and Talent. A chance encounter with a fellow HR and Talent professional led to a LinkedIn connection and an ongoing rapport. Five years later, that contact was working at LinkedIn and made the connection that led to Ezim's current seat at the tech table.You can follow Ezim on social media:
Instagram: @Ezim_amakaTwitter: @Ezim_amakaLinkedIn: Ezim Amaka
Follow us on Instagram: @sistersintechFollow us on Twitter: @sistersintechFollow us on LinkedIn: Sisters in TechCheck out our website: sistersin.tech
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Today at the Sisters in Tech table, we welcome Antonia Oguntokun, an accountant at Natural Motion Games, a company that creates groundbreaking social games for mobile platforms.
Instagram: @ola_antoniaTwitter: @ola_antoniaLinkedIn: Antonia Oguntokun
A love of numbers led Antonia to study Accounting and Finance at university. After tasting the world of work with a couple of jobs unrelated to her degree, Antonia took a step back and focused her efforts on finding a job in accounting. At this time, Antonia attended a seminar and after hearing one of the speakers mention that she was looking for an assistant accountant, she boldly approached the woman and landed her first job in accounting. Antonia learned and eventually developed her career in her chosen field. After a few years, Antonia grew dissatisfied with her profession. She wanted a more vibrant and creative work environment, and that’s when she found her path into tech and took her seat at the tech table.
You can follow Antonia on social media:
Follow us on Instagram: @sistersintechFollow us on Twitter: @sistersintechFollow us on LinkedIn: Sisters in TechCheck out our website: sistersin.tech
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