Intertech @ ThoughtWorks - Intersectional Stories

Join us for the second event in our Intertech Intersectional Stories series this year.

Intersectionality has been applied to a broad array of societal fields over the last 30 years, and life as a member of the LGBT+ community is no different.

We've teamed up with the incredible team at ThoughtWorks for an exploration of how our individual experiences as members of the community may vary widely, and be complicated further by our individual traits and life experiences.

On the evening there will be three fantastic speakers each sharing their stories of how their experiences have impacted their fight for equality and fairness and shaped their journey and career in the digital world so far. Following the speakers there will be a a chance for Q&A plus networking over drinks and nibbles.

Our speakers for the evening will be:

Maya Fay

Maya Fay is an artificial intelligence (AI) enthusiast, who has worked all over the world on innovative projects to help people solve tricky problems, to name but a few these have included, DNA analysis for designer personalised medicine and developing software that allows Vietnamese people to speak with like an accent like Audrey Hepburn and James Bond 007.

As a member of the LGBTQI+ community, she is involved with several government-funded projects to help with the mental well being of transgender people and is currently involved as a researcher for Spectra and Goldsmith University in analysing ease of access to employment for transgender people.

Franzi Sauerwein

Microagressions, sexism, othering - problems we encounter in society seem to be especially elevated in the IT industry. Can we still thrive in a toxic environment like this? Can we stay our fabulous selves when we are confronted with the fact that tech careers seem not to be designed for us?

In this talk I want to tell you my story of working through my internalised misogyny and discover the power of my queer femme caring self. I will also go through the challenges I faced and the communities and networks I found for support. You will learn about some of the fallacies I discovered about having a fulfilling career in tech.

Lola Phoenix

Mx Lola Phoenix (they/them) is a non-binary disabled queer Norse pagan who works in digital in the charity sector. When not working, Lola usually writes both fiction as well as producing a weekly relationship advice column and podcast called Non-Monogamy Help for people in non-monogamous relationships. Lola will be talking about why coming out at work is not a singular experience and there may be many reasons that individuals don't choose to come out that are strategic as well as critical for the protection of their mental health and why it's important to realise that the very concept of being 'out' assumes one's identity is not already visible and that visibility is safe for everyone.

Amina Aden

A designer and researcher perpetually in need of coffee - Amina is currently leveraging her expertise at Appnovation, a global full service consultancy. She has experience working for clients across broadcast, life science and financial industries including household names like ITV and BBC. Accompanied with an academic background in Media Production and an MA in International Relations, she approaches design problems with a human-centred methodology.

A first generation Somali America, she will be speaking of her experience navigating breaking into the design world while simultaneously moving countries and techniques to overcome situations of imposter syndrome in the tech world.