Emma Cowling

"I've always been interested in how things work. To start with this meant I was interested in science and maths, but as I got older I realised I loved knowing about people too. I love having conversations with people about how they got their job, what they love to do, and helping them think about how they could enjoy their life even more. This has resulted in me moving from being a software developer (where I used my maths to solve problems with things) to managing, coaching and leading teams of people interested in developing technology. I like to discover new ways of doing things and then share them with others. "

"I spend a lot of time listening to people and helping them to find solutions to their problems. My team do research into new types of technology, and I help them to find the people that want to use the ideas they are developing. The best way to describe my role is probably as a matchmaker - trying to connect up people that have problems with the people with the best solutions. I spend a lot of time talking to and listening to customers that might want to work with my team, trying to help them figure out where to start helping them, and who in my team has the right technical skills to help. I make lots of introductions and often organise workshops and meetings to get people talking and exploring how they could work together. Once a possible solution has been found I help put a plan together so that the solution can be developed. When things go well, my team form partnerships with companies to help make their technology better. I also spend a lot of time listening to my team, getting to know them and what they love to do and helping them with their career development. The starting salary for my role can vary depending on the level of responsibility and the number of people being managed, but it's approximately £50,000 per annum. "

"I did a Maths degree at university, then found a job as a software engineer working on image processing (helping computers to \"see\"). I was always interested in the business side of what I did and ended up on an entrepreneurial training programme where I learned how to create a business case for some software I was working on. I then became a technology manager, starting with 10 people in my team, helping to win funding for their work and helping them develop their own skills - this is when I realised I loved coaching and developing people. My team grew to 30, and became more focused on predicting future technology, which was lots of fun. After 10 years I decided it was time to move job, and I found a job as a business development manager at the university of york, where I worked with academics who were doing research in computer science, electronics and maths to help them make connections with companies that wanted to be involved in and sometimes fund the work. As a result of doing this I ended up winning some funding to set up a huge research centre focused on computer games. I now work with around 30 academics who do research into AI, User Experience, data analytics as well as Archaeology, Education and Psychology and help them to build partnerships with over 100 different companies who develop computer games and VR.In parallel, I also have my own business as a leadership and business coach. "

"I have a labradoodle called Layla, who I love playing with and taking out on walks. I also love adventuring in the mountains. I can climb and love long walks exploring new places. 3 years ago I also discovered that I can draw and love painting watercolour and doodling (at school I thought I was a terrible artist!). I've just started selling some of my work on Etsy. "

"I spend a lot of my day in meetings, but these meetings can vary from being a catch-up chat with one person to a meeting with 30 people. On a good day I will have 3 or 4 meetings of about an hour each, with time between them to catch up and take action on the things that have been agreed. Sometimes there are more and it can feel like I'm going from one meeting to another. In my role I'm responsible for the overall running of the centre, and making sure that all the information flows and people know what's happening. We do this in lots of different ways, but my current big project is to work with another company to get them to create a database of all the people we're working with and how, so that we can track what everyone is doing. My hope is that we can create a system that's easy to use for people to put information into and that they can search to find what they need. I also usually have lots of background projects running, trying to keep the people I've introduced talking to each other, and helping them remove challenges that come up that can sometimes stop things from happening. Sometimes my job can feel chaotic, but I love it when things all come together! "

"At GCSE I achieved: A* in Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and French A in Food Technology and LatinB in English Language and English Litereature C in Music For A-Level I studied Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Further Maths (and General Studies) and got As in all of them. For University I studies Maths at Cambridge, getting a 2-1 in my undergraduate. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do as a job, so stayed and did a 4th year Masters in Maths, which I passed. After this, I started working as a Graduate Engineer (in 2001). In 2007 I started to learn to coach and I now have 3 coaching diplomas (Personal Coaching (for individuals), Corporate Coaching (for companies) and Small Business Coaching). I'm also a Master Practitioner of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic-Processing). I love learning and every time I've started a new course I discover something new about myself. "