Race in STEM

In this episode, Steve interviews the fabulous Kmla Sharma, Tech Lead at Hubspot. Kmla Sharma is an Indian-born Irish woman who has lived in Ireland for the last 28 years. She holds a degree in computer science from Trinity College Dublin and has been a backend engineer in the software engineering industry for the last 7 years. She has worked across many different domains including accounting machine learning software, transport logistics, financial tech and acquisition. Kmla currently works as a tech lead in Hubspot, where she uses her coding expertise to lead a team of engineers in Hubspot’s growth acquisition department.

Part of The IN Group Communities, Race in STEM a safe, judgement-free space to share one another’s experiences and ideas. Together, we can challenge the status quo and showcase the excellence of the underrepresented in STEM.

Keep in touch and find out more about RACE in STEM!

In this episode of 'Race in STEM,' host Steven Fuller interviews Christine Noonan, CEO of Klem Digital Wardrobe Technology.

Christine shares her journey as an entrepreneur, discussing the creation of Klem, an innovative digital wardrobe management platform. She emphasises the importance of authenticity and genuine support for underrepresented entrepreneurs, while also expressing her commitment to promoting diversity and providing opportunities in the fashion industry and beyond.

Originally from Uganda, Christine grew up in rural Ireland and went on to attend the University of Limerick for her Economics degree. She has since worked in tech companies in the US and Europe. Christine is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion in tech and believes in the power of dialogue followed by action with the goal to create more room for minorities at the decision-making levels of tech companies.

www.trinnovogroup.com/race-in-stem

Part of The IN Group Communities, Race in STEM a safe, judgement-free space to share one another’s experiences and ideas. Together, we can challenge the status quo and showcase the excellence of the underrepresented in STEM.

Keep in touch and find out more about RACE in STEM!

Steve is joined by life sciences professional Makeba Lawson-Williams. In this episode, Makeba speaks about personal experiences with workplace discrimination and the importance of fostering diversity and inclusion. We explore Makeba's background, upbringing, and career journey within the STEM field, highlighting instances of discriminatory comments and uncomfortable situations which she has encountered throughout her professional life. We also discuss ways to positively take action and lessons which can be learnt. 

Makeba is a life science consultant with over 5 years of experience working in quality assurance for the pharmaceutical industry. Makeba specialises in biotechnology with industrial applications and is currently pursuing a PhD in protein engineering. Her research focuses on driving exciting advancements in recombinant tools for synthetic biology

Part of The IN Group Communities, Race in STEM a safe, judgement-free space to share one another’s experiences and ideas. Together, we can challenge the status quo and showcase the excellence of the underrepresented in STEM.

Keep in touch and find out more about RACE in STEM!

Take a listen to our latest Race in STEM podcast, featuring insights from Steven Fuller and Chinedu Madichie. In this episode, the pair discuss supporting a new generation of life sciences professionals.

Chinedu is a senior quality and regulatory compliance leader with a passion for improving health equity across the world. With over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, his expertise includes quality management systems, GMP/GCP/GDP/GLP regulations, and analytical method development and validation. Dr Madichie has extensive experience in pharmaceutical development and Chemistry Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) with a commercial focus that drives business growth through innovative products and technologies.

Part of The IN Group Communities, Race in STEM a safe, judgement-free space to share one another’s experiences and ideas. Together, we can challenge the status quo and showcase the excellence of the underrepresented in STEM.

Keep in touch and find out more about RACE in STEM!

In this episode, Steve is joined by the fabulous Olivia Cream. Olivia discusses how to channel your inner confidence, as well as perceiving the glass to be 'half full' rather than 'half empty.' 🥛 🌟

Olivia served as the Advanced Sourcing manager for 4 years before moving to HR as the Endoscopy Division Sales HRBP in 2015. As an HR leader, Olivia is focused on employee relations, talent assessment, performance management, development, workforce planning, and recruiting functions. Olivia is now serving on the National Board for SAAN and is also a contributing member of the Stryk Veterans Association focusing on recruiting, retention and development of Veterans.

Part of The IN Group Communities, Race in STEM a safe, judgement-free space to share one another’s experiences and ideas. Together, we can challenge the status quo and showcase the excellence of the underrepresented in STEM.

Keep in touch and find out more about RACE in STEM!

Steve was introduced to Ailon Haileyesus several months ago. 'It was refreshing to hear how much she enjoys acting as an Engineer, and how respected she is by her colleagues,' Steve commented. Ailon attributes her focus and calmness to her faith, which is explored in this podcast. 

Ailon is a Staff Engineer at Stryker - developing products for spine surgeries while interacting directly with surgeons worldwide. Prior to this role, Ailon completed her M.S.E. (CBID Program ‘18) and B.S.E. (‘16) in Biomedical Engineering. Ailon was a Harvard-Amgen Scholar (2015) and interned in USAID’s Global Health Bureau (2016). As a first-generation Ethiopian American and female engineer, Ailon is passionate about innovating within the global healthcare field and empowering others to do the same.

Part of The IN Group Communities, Race in STEM a safe, judgement-free space to share one another’s experiences and ideas. Together, we can challenge the status quo and showcase the excellence of the underrepresented in STEM.

Keep in touch and find out more about RACE in STEM!

We held our very first Race in STEM webinar, ‘Women in STEM: Combating Biases and Celebrating Excellence’ hosted by Founder Steve Fuller. We spoke about the challenges and biases women have historically faced in STEM, and how this has continued to trickle into today’s context. We also discussed the importance of celebrating women in STEM, and how in a world where you may feel unrepresented, having assurance and encouragement can support you with confidence and feeling like an ‘imposter.’  

Key insights from the discussion included: 
- Addressing the ‘leaky funnel’ 
- The pay divide: negotiate and challenge 
- Value of transferable skills 
- Importance of advocates and allies 
- Tall Poppy Syndrome and how this can impact women 
- Why we need to continue to celebrate women  

Thank you, Archita, Ana, Tea and Magali, for all your insights! 

Part of The IN Group Communities, Race in STEM a safe, judgement-free space to share one another’s experiences and ideas. Together, we can challenge the status quo and showcase the excellence of the underrepresented in STEM.

Keep in touch and find out more about RACE in STEM!

Check out our latest episode where our US Ambassador interviewed Andrew Obadiaru to discuss Black Resistance. 

Andrew is the Chief Information Security Officer at Cobalt, which provides a Pentest as a Service (PtaaS) platform that is modernizing the traditional, static penetration testing model. At Cobalt, Andrew is responsible for maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of Cobalt's systems and data. Prior to joining Cobalt, Andrew was the Head of Information Security for BBVA USA Corporate Investment banking, where he oversaw the creation and execution of Cyber Security Strategy. Andrew has 20+ years in the security and technology space, with a history of managing and mitigating risk across changing technologies, software, and diverse platforms.

Part of The IN Group Communities, Race in STEM a safe, judgement-free space to share one another’s experiences and ideas. Together, we can challenge the status quo and showcase the excellence of the underrepresented in STEM.

Keep in touch and find out more about RACE in STEM!

Steven sits down with the wonderful James Kusena,  who discusses his philosophy when dealing with adversity within STEM.

James is the Vice President of Bioprocessing & Applications at MicrofluidX, where they are developing the Cyto Engine, a cell therapy bioprocessing and manufacturing platform. James has experience in cell and gene therapy process development and manufacturing optimisation. His work has focused on understanding the translational requirements for robust product realisation, considering aspects such as process development, manufacturability and ultimately the clinical adoption and health economic implications. He holds a Ph.D. in regenerative medicine from the Centre of Biological Engineering at Loughborough University, UK and is an awardee of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Shott Scale Up Accelerator Award.

Part of The IN Group Communities, Race in STEM a safe, judgement-free space to share one another’s experiences and ideas. Together, we can challenge the status quo and showcase the excellence of the underrepresented in STEM.

Keep in touch and find out more about RACE in STEM!

In this episode, Steve interviews respected Global Quality Assurance Consultant, Adam Slater. Adam is a white man and was bought up in Africa from 3 months old until his late teenage years.

A Quality Professional with over 30 years’ experience within the pharmaceutical, healthcare and biopharmaceutical industries. Adam is qualified in both Microbiology and Analytical Chemistry. He has completed the EU Qualified Persons qualification and has worked within large global pharma, start-ups, CRO’s and CDMO’s. The positions he has held have included senior leadership positions in Quality Assurance, R&D, Regulatory and Quality Control.  These roles have included managing large and diverse teams, leading complex change initiatives and continuous improvement programmes. He has experience of working in industries throughout the UK, Europe, USA and Asia. For the last 12 years has run his own independent consultancy company providing interim senior leadership roles, project management, conducting international audits, and leading remediation and inspection readiness initiatives for biopharmaceutical and ATMP companies.

Part of The IN Group Communities, Race in STEM a safe, judgement-free space to share one another’s experiences and ideas. Together, we can challenge the status quo and showcase the excellence of the underrepresented in STEM.

Keep in touch and find out more about RACE in STEM!