Girl Tech Plus 2026
Working together
to inspire a generation

For me, it was the conversations with the girls. I loved hearing about their ambitions, the things they’re interested in and, most of all, the questions they asked us. There was so much curiosity in the room. They genuinely wanted to understand what we do, how we got into our careers and what opportunities are out there.

I also loved being able to show them that a career in technology doesn’t have to mean coding. There are so many different routes into tech, including communications, product, design, clinical roles, data and customer experience. Seeing some of them realise, “Actually, there could be something here for me”, was really special.

And honestly, I went there hoping to inspire them, but I came away feeling inspired myself.

Because you can’t aspire to something if you don’t know it exists. Technology needs people with different skills, experiences, ideas and perspectives, but young people don’t always get to see the breadth of careers available to them.

Events like Girl Tech Plus make those opportunities feel real. Young women can meet people working in the industry, ask honest questions and see that there isn’t one set route into a career in tech.

The feedback from the girls really stayed with me. Hearing that they felt inspired by meeting us and discovering careers they hadn’t necessarily considered before was incredibly rewarding. What particularly struck me was the conversation around representation. For some of the girls, seeing women from similar backgrounds working and succeeding in technology made those careers feel more achievable for them too. It showed them that where they come from, or the experiences they’ve had, don’t have to determine where they can go next. That representation matters too.  Sometimes impact is simply helping someone see a possibility for themselves that they couldn’t see before. I think Girl Tech Plus gave some of the girls that moment.

You don’t need everyone volunteering to have a technical job or a perfectly polished career story. In fact, showing young people the different paths we’ve taken, including the unexpected turns along the way, is part of what makes these conversations valuable. It’s also a two-way experience. We went along to give something back and hopefully inspire the girls, but their intelligence, curiosity and willingness to learn challenged me to reflect on my own career too.

I came away wanting to keep learning, keep growing and keep being the best I can be in my own role.

Inspiring. Empowering. Eye-opening.