About us
HER+Data MCR ("Her plus Data Manchester") is a community working to connect, inspire, support and empower the NW UK’s Women in Data! We meet on the 2nd Thursday of each month.
HER+Data MCR is a Meetup group which brings together anyone who identifies as a woman or non-binary and has a connection to data - whether they work with data, would like to work with data, and/or simply have an interest in data! The scope is intended to be broad to include as many gender minorities within STEM as possible while also maintaining a focus on the topic of data - we talk data science, analytics, research, visualisation, software, applications and experiences women share working in male dominated environments. We have members whose backgrounds range from academia to industry, students to CEOs, neuroscientists to idea implementers. We meet once a month (on the 2nd Thursday), provide ample time for networking, and showcase 2-4 women/non-binary in data speakers who talk about their career paths, role models, challenges faced and data projects that they work on. We also conduct masterclasses a few times each year on topics such as CV writing, interviewing techniques and salary negotiation to empower women to progress in data roles.
HER+Data is a space where everyone can share their stories and develop. We're volunteer driven so we keep our events simple and informal. There will be great content, laughter and a room full of data women and non-binary people from various backgrounds. So come along, ask questions, and get inspired! And if there are specific topics that you would like to see discussed then please let us know. We are always happy to explore new ideas and new collaborations. HER+Data was originally founded in Dublin, Ireland as XX+Data by Karen Church and the Manchester chapter was founded by Rachael Ainsworth.
Connect with HER+Data MCR:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/herplusdatamcr
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/herplusdatamcr
Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/herplusdatamcr-youtube
Email: herplusdatamcr@gmail.com
By joining our community, you are agree to abide by our Code of Conduct.
Upcoming events
1
Celebrating our 9th birthday! - HER+Data MCR Meetup - September 2026
Autotrader, No. 3, Circle Square, 3 Hawkshaw Street, Manchester M1 7BL, Manchester, GBHER+Data MCR is a community working to connect, inspire, support and empower the NW UK’s Women in Data. Our goal is to bring together women and non-binary people who work in data or who would like to work in data - to support one another, share experiences and talk data - big or small! Whether you’re a student just embarking on a career or a seasoned data professional, this group is for you. We want to connect and inspire amazing data women with diverse expertise and experience.
This event is very generously hosted by Autotrader.
✨ Please note:
- Due to venue policies, this event is for 18+ attendees only.
- If you have any allergies/special dietary requirements, please let us know in advance, and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.
- If you have any access needs, please get in touch beforehand so we can ensure you have the best experience at the event.
Agenda
(All times in BST)
18:00 - 18:30 Networking with food and drinks
18:30 - 18:40 Welcome and announcements
18:40 Lightning talks and Q&A
20:30 CloseSpeakers
Katie Bickford is a Junior Software Developer at the Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science at the University of Oxford, where she works on services supporting secure and transparent health data research. After around a decade in international medical communications and medical education, Katie transitioned into software engineering and is passionate about supporting tech communities through PyCon UK and Django Girls. In her talk, “Why Doing Difficult Things Is Good for You and Good for Your Team,” Katie will share lessons from tackling an unfamiliar challenge early in her engineering career, exploring what it means to be a beginner, how to approach problems when you don’t yet know what you don’t know, and the importance of persistence and knowing when to ask for help. She will also reflect on the value of supportive teams and how taking on something that feels far beyond your current capabilities can be one of the best ways to learn. The talk offers a reminder to more experienced engineers and leaders of what being new actually feels like, and the huge difference that good support can make.Lilia Dagger is a Principal Data Engineer at Kalibrate, with experience spanning software development, data science, database development, and data engineering. She has built fraud-detection models, led cost and performance optimisation projects, and now focuses on platform modernisation and data strategy. In her talk, “Querying My (Data) Life Choices,” Lilia will explore how familiar data concepts can be applied to career decisions, from filtering out the noise and connecting different experiences to recognising when a past choice needs a refactor. She will share a practical framework for reflecting on and navigating your own career.
3rd Speaker TBC
By registering for this event, you agree to abide by our Code of Conduct.
Follow us on LinkedIn for updates!Our Meetup page is very generously sponsored by KrakenFlex!
31 attendees
Past events
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