СÀ¶ÊÓƵ

From the СÀ¶ÊÓƵ to an exciting career in technology, Ahsana Nabilah Choudhury has taken an impressive path through the industry.

Ahsana, a BSc (Hons) Computing alumna, graduated in 2017 and now works as a Senior Associate Software Engineer III at JPMorgan. During her time at СÀ¶ÊÓƵ, she made a big impact – not only was she asked to be the student speaker for the 2017 School of Computing graduation ceremony but also won the Best Business Solutions Project Award. She has continued receiving impressive accolades since.

Alongside her work, she is a dedicated volunteer and an advocate for diversity in STEM. Not just shaping her career but inspiring the next generation. This British Science Week, we wanted to celebrate Ahsana breaking barriers in tech and share her exciting story with you all.

Can you tell us about your career journey and key milestones along the way?

On the second day of Induction Week, I listened to a talk on industrial placements and the structure of a sandwich degree – it sounded like a brilliant opportunity. In 2015, instead of going into my final year, I started my placement as an Information Knowledge Management Placement Student within Maritime Services at BAE Systems. 

The experience equipped me with valuable technical and soft skills but also transformed me from a shy student into a confident presenter – something that still benefits me in my public speaking engagements today. Not only that, but it also accelerated my career journey. After I graduated, I landed a full-time role at BAE Systems as a Business Solutions Developer.

In 2018, I began my journey at JPMorgan as a SWIFT Software Engineer. After a secondment, I made an internal move to Global Technology as an SRE Developer. Here, I gained perspective on how technologists service internal stakeholders through the products they build.

In January of this year, I was promoted to Senior Associate, Software Engineer III. I am incredibly grateful to have hit such a big milestone in my career and looking forward to embarking on a new journey as a Senior.

Please can you share some of your recent awards and certifications, and how it feels to win/be awarded?

To receive awards in recognition of my career achievements and advocacy efforts is always so humbling. It is a thrilling feeling and a pleasant surprise that leaves me so grateful and endlessly appreciative of the support I’ve been given. It also serves as motivation to continuously do better and take the time to celebrate how far I have come.

Some recent awards I’ve won are Highly Commended Entrepreneur of the Year 2022: СÀ¶ÊÓƵ Bangladesh Business Association (PBBA), Change Makers Finalist 2023: Makers Academy Women in Software Power, Most Influential Women in UK Technology 2024 longlist: Computer Weekly and the Professional Scrum Master Certification.

These awards and certifications give recognition to Bangladeshis in СÀ¶ÊÓƵ who have achieved remarkable goals, celebrate the tech community's role in driving change and promoting allyship, recognise successful female technologists worldwide and demonstrate the knowledge of scrum (project framework) practices and values.

What are you most passionate about? 

One of the biggest drivers for me, in both my career and life, is to seek value in what I do. I believe time is a precious commodity, so it is important that we fill ours to the best of our abilities in what brings value to ourselves and those around us.

My passions are:

• Continuously seek knowledge to better myself professionally and personally. 

I have taken part in several leadership programmes. The JPMorgan Associate Sponsor Program focussed on developmental sessions that educated me on the core areas of the firm, and I was also matched with a senior leader who provided guidance and opportunities. LEAP was a programme that focused on innovation and real-world business needs where I collaborated with peers to broaden perspectives, understand design thinking and improve soft skills such as problem-solving, communication and influencing.

These have helped me to be innovative beyond my day-to-day role and identify solutions that drive value, and have a positive impact on those around me. Additionally, they have allowed me to increase my visibility to senior leaders.

• Provide value to others through mentoring my junior peers and imparting knowledge from my own experiences to help with career growth.

I have always made time for volunteering - I’m a frequent public speaker and have presented at numerous panels and conferences over the past eight years. I volunteer because I like to give others the resources I did not have when I was at the beginning of my journey in tech and this is the exact reason I started my blog in 2017.

I enjoy seeing real-time impact and it is always such a noticeable positive change I observe in others – an increased confidence or a newfound passion for technology, for example. It brings me so much happiness to help people in any way that I can, to have brought them ease, and pay it forward to the community.

• To create an environment where people can be their full authentic selves through challenging gender stereotypes in technology.

Over time, I have carved a "personal brand" for myself by leveraging my online platforms, such as my blog and professional social media. In the modern age, I believe we need a presence that best reflects us both offline and online to showcase our accomplishments, capabilities, and principles. This is why it is so important the environment we create for ourselves is the one we can be our full authentic self. There needs to be an intersection between who you are in-person and who you are online, and empower yourself to show that side of you to your network.

Community is a great way to uplift others to be lean into their talents and how these traits can be a big asset in their day-to-day. I am an active participant in the tech community: through outreach programmes to encourage young school children there is a place in tech for them, and through running women in tech meet-ups where we can connect with one another, have an open forum for heart-to-heart conversations, and inspire each other.

How have cultural expectations shaped your approach to success?

Coming up to a decade in the industry this year as a South Asian woman, I have had many role models and mentors throughout my time.

I have found that a shared experience amongst many of my fellow South Asian peers has been around risk-aversion; this could be from our respective cultural upbringings where the community is at the heart of what we do: they are the people we have grown up with, are the first to hear our big news and will always be supporting us from the sidelines. However, how can we face the very same people if we were to fail? 

Anticipating such big feats, but then not being able to meet these expectations, can bring a sense of defeat and perhaps embarrassment. So, it is then believed that the best way to minimise the risk of failure is to not even take the risk at all. Despite this, doing so may hinder personal growth but also impact the demographic in general. 

Failure is inevitable at times, but what is important is that we learn and rise from it so we can do better next time. Taking risks is what will allow us to learn, change, and adapt.

Whilst I haven’t encountered misconceptions from my peers, I have still had to overcome the cultural perception of risk. I always try to remind myself to take a bet on myself and feel the fear because it is always an opportunity for growth, regardless of the outcome.

What advice would you give to young women or underrepresented groups who feel that a career in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) isn’t for them?

The world of STEM is always in need of women and underrepresented groups. Society is heavily reliant on STEM, and these two demographics have the power to influence industries, produce better environments and create more inclusive and reliable artefacts.

In an era where AI is earning a firmer position in society as time goes on, we must have women and underrepresented groups spearheading developments to ensure the information is ethical, inclusive, and relevant. 

My advice to women and underrepresented groups would be to know that STEM is always ever-evolving with new creative avenues and that there is always a place for them. STEM can prosper to greater heights with their knowledge, their real-world experiences, and the innovation they can bring. They are incredibly essential to the world of STEM.

What excites you most about the future of STEM?

I am most excited about taking a greener approach in technology for the future of STEM and how we can be more environmentally sustainable in software development.

I think STEM can be made more inclusive by ensuring we emphasise the development and retention of talent, whilst continuously encouraging the recruitment of new talent. STEM can benefit people in all areas of life and all levels of experience. We can reach better inclusivity by ensuring professionals are recognised throughout each stage of their careers.

We can continue to break down barriers for the next generation by democratizing information that enriches their learning and development. Having accessible resources can allow people to have a fairer chance at embarking on a future in STEM. 

What’s next for Ahsana?

I envision a deeper level of professional growth, especially in data and backend development, in which I have a keen interest. I’m also looking at continuing my advocacy through 2025 by presenting at more public speaking engagements, volunteering locally in science and technology causes, and mentoring junior peers.

I am super excited to share that I am also redesigning my beauty and tech blog! This was initially launched in 2017 to challenge stereotypes. I deliberately chose a seemingly niche genre as I wanted to show individuals can be both feminine and technical; neither trait is mutually-exclusive, nor should any person feel the need to compromise one for the sake of the other. Both can exist in harmony. It will still keep the original theme and essence, but I hope to bring more posts surrounding helping others with career development. The new look of the blog will be launched later this year.