Digital African movement iamtheCODE has appointed BCX CEO Ian Russel as a board advisor.
Established in 2016, iamtheCODE is global movement that mobilises governments, business and investors to support young women in STEAMD (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics and Design), through learning how to code, creative learning and cracking problems. The movement's main aim is to ensure that 1 million women and girls have equal access to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, linked to employability, by 2030.
Russel, who was appointed as CEO of BCX in May last year, says both iamtheCODE and BCX have similar social impact philosophies. "I am honoured to be appointed as a board member of this movement. I am passionate about developing digital skills for our country and for Africa. The private sector has an immense role to play in building this vital sector on the continent, and I'm proud that as an organisation we are doing this."
Prior to joining BCX, Russel was chief administration officer at Telkom where he was accountable for the delivery of a wide range of group services to the telco's business units including procurement, supply chain, corporate real estate, security, corporate social responsibility activities and human resources.
In his capacity as CEO at BCX, Russel has been credited with the successful launch of BCXLearn.com, a digital learning platform that aims help SA teachers and learners to effectively use online digital content. The firm also invested in organisations such as WeThinkCode and the Explore Data Science Academy to in a bid to create affordable education in the coding and data science fields.
"We are excited to have Ian join us as an advisory board member, as he is a leader in the technology world and has expertise in the private sector," said Mari'eme Jamme, Young Global Leader and founder of iamtheCODE. "iamtheCODE works closely with the tech industry as it is the future employer of young women coders. Together we can build the recruitment pipeline with the private sector. We are proud to have BCX as our official partner in South Africa."
In December, iamtheCODE appointed Lars Silberbauer, senior global director of social media and video for the LEGO Group, to the board of advisors as well as Paula Bellizia, general manager of Microsoft Brazil, as a board member.
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