We were delighted to hear today that Lauren Gemmell, our Manager of Software Development in the Amazon Development Centre Scotland, was named a winner of the inaugural TechWomen50 Awards 2017.
Lauren was selected for impressive work creating her own software engineering team as part of Amazon Registry Services, which at the time was a new product offering for Amazon. Building the team from scratch, Lauren is now responsible for running a team of over 17 engineers working both at the Edinburgh Development Centre and Amazon’s global headquarters in Seattle, U.S.
The TechWomen50 Awards show that women in the tech industry are now being recognised for their success which I think is fantastic.
Lauren also plays a key role in the progression of women in technology both at Amazon and externally through various community initiatives. For the past four years, she’s led Amazon’s Women in Engineering Group (AWE) at the Edinburgh Development Centre, an internal group which supports female engineers through mentoring, networking and identifying new opportunities in the business.
Lauren is also a mentor for Claire Doherty, one of our Amazon Women in Innovation Bursary participants, providing her with advice on how to pursue her career in tech. She also leads Amazon Early Insights Scheme, a community outreach programme in Scotland designed to encourage more young girls to take up STEM subjects.
“The TechWomen50 Awards show that women in the tech industry are now being recognised for their success which I think is fantastic,” said Lauren. “I hope this award will encourage more women to enter the world of tech as well as inspire those at the beginning of their careers such as the young girls I mentor through the Early Insights programme and Amazon’s Women in Innovation Bursary.”
Over 500 individuals were submitted for the awards, over 15,000 public votes were received for the 100 shortlisted nominees and the final 50 winners were judged by a panel of 20 independent industry experts.