How One Conversation Can Spark New Possibilities

This summer, students at Leeds Mathematics School had the chance to meet someone who proved that maths can take you much further than the classroom. Through a F4S self-serve session, they heard from Bex Kimberley, a Senior Risk Manager at Macquarie who specialises in financial crime prevention – a role that exists at the intersection of global risk, technology, and human behaviour.

Bex didn’t follow a predictable path. Her A Levels ranged from Dance and Drama to Maths and History, and she later went on to study Maths and Economics. A placement year in banking opened her eyes to the real-world impact maths can have, and she has gone on to lead global projects designed to stop financial crime, having worked with teams around the world to build systems that detect and respond to suspicious behaviour, and help ensure the financial system remains safe for everyone who relies on it.

What struck students most wasn’t just the complexity of her work, but how grounded it was in everyday problem-solving. Bex spoke about spotting patterns, breaking down risks, thinking logically under pressure, and communicating clearly – skills the students recognised from their own maths lessons. She reminded them that maths isn’t just numbers on a page; it’s the foundation of confidence in fast-moving situations and the key to understanding how complex systems work.

Her message was simple but powerful: stay curious, embrace change, and trust the problem-solving abilities you’re building now. Careers rarely unfold in a straight line, and the unexpected turns are often the ones that lead to the most meaningful opportunities.

For Leeds Mathematics School, the session was exactly what they hoped for, especially for the Year 10 girls who attended as part of their summer school programme. Declán Forster, Teacher of Mathematics and Outreach Programme Lead, explained why these encounters matter so deeply:

“We aim our summer school at higher-attaining Year 10 girls, an underrepresented group in STEM at sixth form and beyond. We wanted them to see someone in industry who uses maths every day. The students were incredibly engaged—they hadn’t considered this kind of career before, and the feedback from both students and staff was really positive.”

He went on to say:

“We got exactly what we wanted: those girls seeing someone in industry and thinking, ‘Oh, I can do this too.’ That representation is incredibly valuable.”

The school has already committed to continuing their work with F4S:

“100% we’ll be continuing to use it because of the positive impact we’ve seen so far.”

This is the power of self-serve sessions—quick to book, easy to run, and deeply impactful. They give students the chance to hear real stories from real professionals, helping them understand that futures in STEM are not abstract or distant, but tangible and within reach.

For some students, all it takes is a single conversation to imagine a future they’d never considered before. And for many, that conversation starts with F4S.