Ms Imafidon, you certainly have a way with numbers ...
Do I ever. I love them. I’m fascinated more than anything by how logical they are. Two times two will always be four. It will never be five. I also enjoy combining numbers and am excited by the fact that everything can be worked out mathematically.
You were one of three women in your class at Oxford. Was that a problem?
Not at all. I never saw it as one, and neither did the lads. We were all treated as individuals. Us girls were never looked down upon.
But you are nonetheless committed to getting more girls interested in technical professions. How did this come about?
Back when I worked at Deutsche Bank, I was sent to a conference in the United States to hold a talk in front of 3,500 people. All of the women there were talking about the drastically sinking number of women in these technical professions. I noticed this problem back home in the UK as well, and decided to do something about it.
Your initiative is called ‘STEMettes’ and has now become your full-time job - effectively making you an entrepreneur. What is the biggest challenge you face?
For me, it’s about showing young girls how to approach scientific challenges with confidence. They have to understand that they are just as good at maths as boys, and that these skills can open the door to many fantastic professional opportunities. It’s important to me that the girls stick together so that they shed all of their inhibitions.
How do you go about making five-year-olds excited about technology?
I have three golden rules. I call it the F principle: free, food and fun! The workshops are free, there is always something good to eat and, to put it plainly, it’s all about having fun.