Many friends and colleagues have asked what led me to join Digital Futures, after 25 years’ working in the tech sector, both in business and not-for-profit organisations. The simple answer is that it’s the unique mission of Digital Futures that attracted me to the role – to help build a business that genuinely serves its clients, by providing the tech talent that is desperately needed in industry, while ensuring our tech teams truly reflect the society they serve, particularly regarding gender and ethnic diversity.
In some of my previous roles I have worked with young people at The Princes Trust, led challenging transformation programmes for Marks & Spencer and TalkTalk, and worked for some of the leading global technology vendors such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Oracle. This gives me a unique perspective on exactly why, and how, Digital Futures can fulfil their mission to address the current market gap in digital skills training and the resourcing of young technology professionals from diverse backgrounds.
It is hard to believe, as a mother of two teenagers, how hard it can be for young people to navigate the right education and career path. From having to choose and get accepted onto educational courses and industry programmes, through to having the opportunity, support and aptitude to find a role suited to your skills and interests. How do we make this journey easier?
Well for starters, the lack of social mobility is the silent blocker. A large part of why I have decided to join Digital Futures is their mission to help directly address innate socio-economic and racial bias in our society.
My decision of taking personal accountability to help young people into training and employment is a culmination of my career experience, my personal value system and passion. Dedicating myself to ensuring that our workforce reflects today’s society, and meeting the skills required in the world of technology, feels like a natural next step for me.
I try to reflect over my own failures and successes. Like most people, I have made decisions in my choice of education and career that occasionally did not work out. Perhaps they looked good on paper. Perhaps they sounded good to friends and family. But it takes courage to recognise your failures, energy and focus to navigate where you are going next – and that’s where Digital Futures can play a vital role in the careers of so many people looking for their next step.
I am genuinely excited to be joining the team at Digital Futures, to earn the trust of our industry partners and help them deliver results. Digital Futures is not just a business, but a family and a community of technology and business professionals. The perfect place to help make a positive impact and create a lasting legacy.
Digital Futures 
Ismail Temiz 
Jade Emmanuel 
Jacqueline McKeigue 