SPEAKERS
Dr Sinini Ncube – Senior Software Developer at Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
Dr Sinini Ncube-Nyathi holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Cape Town, an MSc in Computer Science and BSc (Honours) from Rhodes University, and a BSc in Computer Science and Geographical Information Systems from the University Of Fort Hare.
She is currently a senior software developer at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). She is responsible for development as well as knowledge guidance for juniors in creating innovative technologies. Before joining CSIR, Sinini was a lecturer at various institutions for over eight years including Belgium IT Varsity Campus, Richfield Graduate Institute, University of Cape Town and Rhodes University. She has also worked at Google as a Software Engineer Intern. Her passion for science began at high school through mathematics and developed over time to specialise in computer problem solving at tertiary institutions through creating software technologies. As a developer over the past years she has created community based applications in education, health sector and gaming for learning. As a lecturer she taught various programming languages and has acted as a supervisor for projects on ICT4D as well as a mentor for young women in science. Dr Sinini is also a member of the Anita Borg community after being selected as one of the first two women to obtain the Google scholarship for women in science in the EMEA region. Sinini has attended women in science conferences like the Grace Hopper in Switzerland and USA to learn best practices about women in technology. She has presented technology research work in various computer science conferences including France, Germany, Greece, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. Dr Sinini’s interests are to build usable applications that answer to the developmental needs of people in Africa. As a woman in science, her corporate social initiative responsibility is to challenge and build women’s participation and a community-orientated capacity for increasing IT awareness and to help identify technical challenges pertaining to digital access, gender gap in IT as well as identify solutions to these challenges.
Arlene Mulder – Chairperson at The Click Foundation and founder of We think code
After seven years as an investment banker, Arlene left the finance world to start WeThinkCode_, and pursue her dream of starting a tech business that aims to democratise and revolutionise education in order to deliver the world’s top tech talent. Arlene is passionate about driving the development of the tech industry as well as establishing innovative digital problem-solving capabilities in Africa. She has always loved exploring the power of tech and mathematics to transform the way we face challenges. When she isn’t working with rockstar coders in the making, she spends her time on a mountain bike, in her trail running shoes, ticking off her travel bucket list or reading three books at the same time.