Did you enjoy school? And what path did you take afterwards in terms of training or qualifications?
I absolutely loved school. I went to a British international school in Malaysia until I was 14 and then went to a former grammar school in rural England until I left for university. I actually did boarding for a few years in each place. I then went to university to study Astrophysics, mainly because I had the most inspirational physics teacher when I was doing my A levels (in subjects which I initially chose based on wanting to do medicine). I then did a postgraduate Masters in European Film Studies. But I’m always learning. This year I graduated from an Executive MBA.
Has your career path been a smooth transition, a rocky road or a combination of both?
My career path has been neither smooth nor rocky… it was just super squiggly! I was always interested in everything and loved learning new stuff, so I transitioned from one field to another to another. From freelance film and TV production to working in arts administration in theatre and dance, to working in genomics, carbon capture and storage and then in data and AI where I’ve been for the past 10 years. I’m a big believer in the #nowrongpath campaign. Or what’s the Scottish saying? “What is for you will not go by you”
Who has influenced you most as a leader, and where do you look for inspiration today?
I think who I find inspiring has changed somewhat over the years. As I mentioned earlier, it was a really inspiring physics teacher who led me to Astrophysics. I worked with some really inspiring creatives during my time in the arts. I’ve met lots of inspiring leaders in my 10 years in data and AI. And there are lots of incredible people out there that I greatly admire like Timnit Gebru, Greta Thunberg and David Attenborough. But at the end of the day, I think some of the most inspiring people are those not in the spotlight, those that take each day as it comes trying to make life better for people. There are so many unsung heroes out there. And to be topical, the heroes of the RNLI are hugely inspiring!
What is the biggest challenge you have faced to date?
Work wise? I think it’s dismantling and challenging the narrative that AI is inevitable. After years of being ground down by relentless hype and/or fearmongering, many people have been convinced that they have no agency, that they just need to accept it. So it’s very challenging to reignite the belief in people that it is not inevitable and that AI is the result of human choices and because they are choices, we can make different ones!
What qualities do you feel makes a good leader?
Authenticity and humility and being human!
From a work viewpoint, what has the last 12 months been like?
It’s been interesting to say the least. From the winding down of the Scottish AI Alliance, to being made redundant and then taking the leap to set up a new community interest company whilst also going freelance has been scary and exciting. I’m loving the work I do now and I have so many ideas for the future.
What would you say are the biggest tech-based challenges we face today?
The biggest challenge is to move away from the belief that technology is the solution to everything and to reject the narrative that AI is inevitable. We need to make different and better choices about whether tech and AI have a role to play and to have the courage to accept that no is an option.
What can be done to encourage more women into the industry?
I think sometimes the challenge around this question is that it is framed through the lens of men. If you look at the reasons why women don’t work in tech, a lot of it is because tech doesn’t work for them. If you look at why women leave or never enter the industry, it’s rarely about ability; it’s about culture. The industry doesn’t need more women who can survive its current form, the industry needs to change its culture to be where diverse people like women can thrive.
What is one thing you know now that you wish you’d known at the start of your career?
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I’m going to cop out and say nothing. Reason for this is that I am who I am today because of my journey so I wouldn’t want to change a thing.
Give us a fact about you that most other people wouldn’t know.
It wasn’t long ago when I discovered that there were other people other than me that found imagery of small repetitive holes or shapes really icky and that there’s a name for it, trypophobia!
