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Special Interests
In addition to my interest in using my positions to represent the needs of local businesses and SME's, I have three principal special interest areas:
Environment & Green IT: I am an advocate for both energy-efficient / green technology (eg. cloud computing) and ICT as a key part of the solution to climate change. I am a member of Intellect UK's directorial leadership group on energy & the environment, and also a committee member of the the (BCS's) Data Centre Specialist Group. I bridge their and Intellect's expertise in the area of green IT, and also write and speak on the subject.
Girls into technology: Only 19% of IT professionals are female, falling from a high of about 24% five years ago. I am part of Intellect's women in IT forum management group, and one of their spokeswomen on the topic with a main focus on getting more girls interested in science & technology. Last October, I became the first woman to tandem-skydive past Mt. Everest, raising money for Intellect's women in technology research. Britain needs the IT sector, and the IT sector needs more women.
Improved care for the transgendered: I am one of the the lucky few transwomen who could afford proper treatment and therefore look normal and am thus able to lead a full life. I recently told my story in the papers (Sunday Times, Financial Times, The Independant) and on BBC radio in the hope of challenging preconceptions about the transgendered. I am a trustee of GIRES (the Gender Identity Reserch and Education Society), and am working to improve medical care for transexual people in the UK, especially trans-children.
