Did you know that trailblazer Dr. A-Marie Imafidon, MBE, at 20 years old was the youngest graduate of the University of Oxford with a Masters Degree & went on to inspire 17,000+ girls to consider roles in STEM?
Dr. Ann-Marie Imafidon, MBE, is the founder and CEO of Stemettes, a social initiative dedicated to inspiring the next generation of women scientists, engineers, and mathematicians (STEM). Stemettes hosts panel discussions, hackathons, a mentoring Stemettes Student programme supported by Deutsche Bank and Outbox Incubator, and an app, OtotheB, an online platform for girls interested in STEM and entrepreneurship. Stemettes was named European Digital Impact Organization of the Year by the Digital Leadership Institute in October 2014.
Imafidon received the Member of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2017 New Years Honours by age of 27, from Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to young women and the STEM sectors. In 2018, Forbes listed her among the “World’s Top 50 Women in Tech” and the “Top 50 Women in Tech in Europe” and she was named the most powerful woman in IT in the UK by Computer Weekly in 2020. She went on to co-found the Outbox Incubator, the first technological incubator in the world for teenage girls. The incubator provides young women under the age of 22 with creative business and technology concepts, startup money, intense mentoring, and support.
Imafidon is currently using the power of the media to create socio-technological change by creating spaces to inspire and develop initiatives that empower women to be creators and drivers of the technological revolution. Her efforts include collaborating with media companies such as the BBC and 20th Century Fox to bring more women and intersectional tech role models to the screen in order to foster a mainstream culture of diversity, equality, and inclusion in the STEM community. She hosts the Women Tech Charge podcast for the Evening Standard, interviewing tech stars such as Twitter Founder Jack Dorsey, Rachel Riley, and Lewis Hamilton, in order to inspire girls and women to join the techpreneur movement.
Being one of the youngest to complete two GCSEs in two distinct courses, Mathematics and Information Technology, at the age of 11, Imafidon’s path to where she is now is a magnificent beginning for an inspiring prodigy. At age 10, she could speak 6 languages. She was given a British scholarship at the age of 13 to attend Johns Hopkins University to study Mathematics. She was accepted at the age of 15 into an Oxford University degree programme. She began her master’s programme there at age 17. At age 20, she became Oxford University’s youngest-ever master’s degree graduate. (ai.bees)
Ann-Marie Imafidon is a trailblazer who encourages women and young girls to question the status quo of gender by highlighting the importance of a woman advocating for other women to succeed, which will lead to genuine change in society. Ann-Marie Imafidon is strong, intelligent, and determined to create opportunities. By working together and communicating, she has dedicated her life to break down the barriers women face in the tech industry. She is adamant that “if something is worth doing, you will always face barriers. It’s a hard fight, but it’s the good fight.” (We Are Tech Women)
– Written by Simon Sundaraj Kühn
