Growing up, it didn’t take long for Anne-Marie Imafidon’s potential to shine through. The child prodigy who excelled in mathematics and computer science has always had a knack to blend logic with creativity – something that still drives her today. In 2013, Imafidon co-founded Stemettes, a mentoring programme that encourages young girls and women to take up and practice maths, science and technology through fun, food and free activities. The head Stemett and entrepreneur is currently writing her debut non-fiction book She’s In CTRL. Imafidon talks to AMAKA about why women need to take up space in the tech world, her goal to get more women into STEM and leadership positions in the sector, and her desire to see initiatives like Stemettes no longer exist.
While most children were watching their favourite cartoon or playing with their friends, Anne-Marie Imafidon was busy taking apart computers and figuring out how things work. Imafidon has been on a remarkable journey from child genius to helping women get into science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) careers and shows no signs of slowing down. “Maths is very reliable, people change, life and society change but maths does not change,” says Imafidon, who has been interested in maths and technology since she was a little girl. Her passion for “chronological things” led to Imafidon, who speaks five languages, becoming the youngest girl in Britain to gain an A-level qualification in computing at age 11. Her genius did not stop there, she was offered a British scholarship at age 13 to study mathematics at John Hopkins University in the US. At 15 she started a degree at University of Oxford and by 20, she became the youngest graduate with a master’s degree from Oxford.
Despite STEM being notorious for gender imbalance and stiff competition, Imafidon’s parents encouraged her inquisitive nature, something she wants to give the girls she works with. “I was very fortunate and privileged to go at my pace to understand the things I learned about ICT, maths and sciences and was excited to work in tech and make money doing so.”
Adding to her impressive CV, in February 2013, the British-Nigerian computer scientist and mathematician who was awarded an MBE in 2017, co-founded Stemettes – a social enterprise inspiring and supporting the next generation of young women into STEM. Stemettes was born after Imafidon spoke at a conference attended by 3,500 tech women. “I had never been in a majority-female technical environment, it wasn’t something I knew I was missing,” she says. “We can’t not have women as part of these discussions or have different people ignored by the tech that is taking over our lives. It’s about putting power in the hands of particular people and taking power from others.” Attending the tech conference provoked Imafidon to task herself with the role of getting more women into STEM and leadership positions.
The award-winning initiative has seen over 50,000 young people attend workshops and events in the UK and Ireland since its inception. Before becoming a head Stemette, Imafidon worked at several organisations including US investment bank Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank and Hewlett-Packard.
Paving the way for the next generation of female STEM leaders
Imafidon explains that many boundaries hold women in STEM back. Which is why Stemettes doesn’t focus on grades, instead helping girls explore their options and engage with different aspects of the tech and science world is the organisation’s priority. Stemettes runs intersectional long-term programs including mentoring, coding weekends, STEM clubs, school trips and events for young girls, women and non-binary people aged between five and 25. It works with several companies including Bank of America, Mercedes and Standard Chartered, and champions diversity and runs inspirational content platforms through a closed social network, social media and via Imafidon’s speeches and TV work.
As the world grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic and mandated lockdowns in 2020, Imafidon launched a global initiative and took Stemettes online. They have since helped girls around the world, expanding to 13 countries in the past year, including Nigeria, USA, India, Niger, Zimbabwe, Canada, Czech Republic, Italy, Kenya, Lebanon, Malaysia, and Burkina Faso. “We’re now running digitally between Zoom rooms; we’ve continued and ramped up work,” Imafidon explains it has been especially hard for the young Stemettes amid uncertainty around exams and the future. To help the girls feel motivated for their future and ensure they can partake in the programmes, Stemettes sent out laptops, paid for broadband and data packages, pens, face masks and snacks instead of holding events.
Keeping momentum and encouraging more women in the UK can be a difficult task and the initiative aims to reach 30% of female STEM representation. Two things helped Imafidon on her journey into STEM, having mentors and sponsorships. “A mentor is someone you can ask for advice, while a sponsor is someone who can act on your behalf when you are not in the room.” In tech the most important things happen when you are not in the room. “You can’t promote yourself or put yourself in positions of power, so it’s important to have support, which is why I started Stemettes, so I can pay it forward to the next generation in the same way people have done for me.” Having the right support network also prevents women from leaving STEM industries, especially those that have had negative experiences and the beauty of the tech world is that one size does not fit all, and Black and Ethnic Minority women can use it to build and serve communities. Imafidon says now is the time to level up and get into STEM even for those who are changing careers. “The world is changing, and decisions are shaping the way society works and so the earlier you can get in and understand how things work, the better chance you have to shape, influence, represent and be reflected in STEM.”