Industry leading software specialist, Adactus Ltd, headquartered in Thame, Oxfordshire, has hired a new developer, Maryam Ekpolomo as part of the company’s continued commitment to encourage more women into STEM roles, as the IT industry continues to lag behind.
The percentage of women working in STEM only increased from 21% to 24% between 2016 to 2019 according to recent Statista data. While this is a ‘significant increase’ in women working within STEM fields, the report stated that it is still disproportionately low, highlighting the gender gap in STEM.
Maryam joins the company as an apprentice software developer, and will be working as an integral part of the development team. In 2019 Maryam graduated from Queen Mary University London with a 2:1 Physics (BSc) degree, and due to her passion for IT and coding, went on to enroll in additional courses on Python and Java Script.
With over 20 years in the industry, Adactus delivers customer-service software solutions for hospitality and businesses, transforming brands such as TGI Fridays, Pizza Hut, Café Rouge and Bella Italia.
The company has previously made female hires to key roles, including Kerri Roberts as the company’s Marketing Manager, Kate Rampley, Finance Manager and Louise Bozon, Project Manager, with female employees making up 50% of the company’s Management Team.
Kavitha Shetty and Yash Agrawal also work within the technical team as software testers with one of Adactus’ Project Managers, Rebecca Beet, recently celebrating her five-year anniversary having herself started her career as an apprentice at the company.
Due to a scarcity of women within the sector, Adactus, until now, has struggled to find female developers. The company's recent female hires in key roles, as well as its commitment to longstanding apprentices, highlight its dedication to female professionals across the industry.
Scott Muncaster, Owner & Managing Director of Adactus, said: “Since launching Adactus we’ve made it our mission to encourage equality across the sector. When you look at the statistics, the tech industry is clearly lagging behind, especially within technical role pathways for women. That’s why as a team we’re committed to providing all our staff with equal opportunities, and as we welcome Maryam to the company, this value is as important as ever.
“We’re extremely happy to have her as part of the team. It’s an exciting time for Adactus and it will be fantastic to have Maryam helping us to drive forward on our growth and expansion plans.”
Maryam said: “I’ve always had a passion for coding and tech, and while I was at university, I knew it was a career pathway I wanted to pursue, which is why I enrolled in the additional Python and Java Script courses to run alongside my degree. The team at Adactus has been really welcoming, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how much I can grow as an individual, and how much I can learn from all of the team members here.”
