Senior Product Manager for the world’s most famous search engine, Natalie Bennett from Google, is set to inspire the next generation of females in tech at Flow’s Girls in ICT Day Expo.

The Jamaican-born, New York-based University of Technology and Carnegie Mellon University graduate will take time from her hectic schedule at Google to lead an interactive session with over 200 girls from high schools across the country.

Her presentation forms part of an engaging day of activities that will include exhibitions, a Coding Challenge, and a special address by the Minister of Science, Energy and Technology, Daryl Vaz.

In expressing her delight at being part of the inaugural event, Bennett shared that while she has reaped considerable success in her professional career, she also believes in empowering the next generation of young ladies to unlock the greatness within themselves.

She added that she wants to see more women pursuing careers in the rewarding field of ICT.

“I am from a vulnerable community in Kingston, and it was education that was my way out. Despite many obstacles, I was able to push through not just because of my efforts but because of the support I got from people around me who saw potential in me that I could not see in myself. For this reason,

I am passionate about helping others to achieve their highest potential,” she said.

She will share her inspiring story with attendees which will comprise girls from 3rd to 5th form who have varying degrees of education and experience in Information and Communication Technology.

Director of Communications at Flow, Kayon Mitchell, said it was important for the company, which is the leading communications and entertainment service provider in the country, to host an event of this nature. She added that the Girls in ICT Day Expo is in keeping with Flow’s commitment to encouraging equality, diversity, and inclusion right across the board, but especially within the field of Information and Communication Technology.

“Statistics show that women are less likely to study and pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics than men. We hope that by exposing our girls to women who are trailblazers in ICT, we will inspire them to follow similar pursuits,” Mitchell said.

She shared that the event is a continuation of Flow’s efforts to encourage more women to become involved in the field of ICT. Last year, Flow through its parent company Liberty Latin America,

provided free training in coding to scores of Jamaican girls through the Future Tech Stars programme. Over 200 girls across the Caribbean and Latin America completed the programme. Through the Flow Foundation, hundreds of Jamaican girls and women have also improved their digital skills courtesy of free online training courses.

Flow’s Girls in ICT Day Expo will take place on April 27 and will bring together key players in ICT inclusive of academia, non-governmental organizations, and public and private sector entities. Among the exhibitors are Northern Caribbean University, University of the West Indies, University of Technology, HEART VTDI, Universal Service Fund, Star Apple AI, Virtual Reality Jamaica, and STEAM House.

The company has also engaged key partners for the execution of the event, particularly Phase 3, which will oversee technical production for the Expo, and STEM Builders Hub which will lead the day’s Coding Challenge.

The event will be held under the international theme for Girls in ICT Day – ‘Digital Skills for Life’.