Ally Watson
• – • Billy Blue college of Design
About the speaker
The Age named Ally Watson one of Australia’s nine most influential female entrepreneurs of 2017. After spending seven years working as a software engineer across the UK and Australia her unique and refreshing insights into the life of a woman in a male-dominated industry led her to co-found the highly acclaimed ‘Code Like a Girl’ in 2015. Code Like a Girl is a social enterprise providing girls and women with the confidence, tools, knowledge and support to enter and flourish, in the world of coding.
Ally is a values-led entrepreneur and at the heart of her work is a passion to create innovative and accessible learning pathways into technology where every girl, from any background, feels included, inspired and capable. Code Like a Girl's efforts in addressing the gender gap in tech has been commended numerously; receiving AWS Community Champion of the Year 2018, Gold Disruptor award at 2016’s Australian Computer Society Awards, 2016’s B&T Women in Media Award for Technology and taking home an Education merit award at the City of Melbourne's 2017 & 2016 #TechDiversity Awards
Local partners
In 1987, Billy Blue Creative (which blossomed from the infamous Billy Blue Magazine) decided to open a tiny design school to train creative folk who would eventually contribute to projects circling the design studio and creative department. A crowd of about four was expected. Sixty-six people enrolled and there was a long waiting list…
In essence, the college was created by industry for industry and we’ve been building on that concept in everything we cultivate. Since opening our college doors 25+ years back, Billy Blue College of Design has launched the careers thousands of graduate creatives and thought leaders, qualified and ready to make their mark in the design and creative industries.
Milligram (formerly NoteMaker) is home of the world’s best designer stationery, office and lifestyle accessories. Create your dream home or office stationery cupboard and shop online (or in-store at Milligram Melbourne Central) for notebooks, pens, diaries, inks and fine office supplies. Buy stationery online in our stationery shop from brands including Moleskine, Delfonics, Lamy, Palomino, Kaweco, Milligram, Rhodia, Midori and almost 80 more! They also offer specialist items like custom wax seals, pen customisation, bullet journals and a quality range of backpacks, books and gifts.
Here at Clement we’re about two things: Good coffee and Good People. Like all fruit, coffee is seasonal. Depending on the time of year, we roast and sell the freshest, tastiest coffee from around the globe. Our baristas don’t just make coffee - they love it. They take the time to learn about where it comes from and how it’s best served.
Additional details
Good morning people! It’s that time again and this month we are at Billy Blue College of Design’s new Melbourne Campus at 196 Flinders Street in the CBD. We are very excited to have joining us this month a woman who The Age named one of Australia’s nine most influential female entrepreneurs of 2017, Ally Watson co-founder of [Code Like a Girl],(https://codelikeagirl.org/) With a background in software engineering Ally is a values-led entrepreneur and at the heart of her work is a passion to create innovative and accessible learning pathways into technology where every girl, from any background, feels included, inspired and capable
Joining us on the theme of symmetry, Ally will be chatting about her approach to the theme - an exploration of gender bias, blindness, and equality. Art school rejects comes computer science nerd, Ally will share her pivotal and unconventional journey of being the odd one out.
We can’t wait to see you all there! :)
Get there early for some fresh Clement Coffee, who will be serving up their incredible batch brew & tea to get your day started right along with our brekky croissants, all courtesy of our generous sponsors Billy Blue. We are also a parent and kid-friendly event so please feel free to bring along whoever you like! Croissants and coffee from 8am. Ally at 8:30 am.
Location
Hosted at
Billy Blue college of Design
196 Flinders Street
Melbourne, Victoria Australia 3066
When
–
Photographer Mark Lobo
Videographer Matt Hall
