Celebrating Women in Maths and STEM: Inspiring the Next Generation

“Sometimes pushing yourself out of your comfort zone can open tens of doors of opportunities.”

For International Women’s Week and National Careers Week, we’re proud to spotlight inspiring women who have turned their love of maths into meaningful careers. They are now championing the next generation of young people, particularly girls, to follow in their footsteps.

Kimberley McDonald – Group Treasury, Macquarie Group

Kimberley’s path into maths wasn’t planned. “I never planned to study Maths, yet I found myself switching to a pure Maths degree in my second year at university, having started with a combined honours in Maths and Psychology.” Since then, maths has opened a wealth of career opportunities for her, and she uses her analytical and problem-solving skills every day in her finance career.

Volunteering as a role model with Maths4Girls allows Kimberley to speak to her 15-year-old self, emphasizing just how crucial studying Maths would turn out to be. “Maths 4 Girls demonstrates the importance of representation. When girls see real-life role models, it helps break down stereotypes and showcase the wide array of careers that Maths can lead to. When they can see it, they believe it—and when they believe it, they can achieve it.”

On International Women’s Day, Kimberley celebrates the achievements of women in STEM and champions inspiring girls to pursue Maths and other STEM subjects. These fields often lead to rewarding, higher-paid careers in finance and technology, helping to address the gender pay gap that can begin with choices made as early as age 15. By encouraging girls to follow these paths, we take meaningful steps toward greater equality and recognition of women’s contributions in these vital industries.

🔗 Bring Kimberley into your classroom this National Careers Week and inspire your students: Book Kimberley here

Bex Kimberley – Senior Risk Manager, Macquarie Group

Bex’s love of maths began long before the classroom—in her grandad’s living room. “We used to sit together and play along with Countdown, racing to solve the numbers challenge before the clock ran out. I didn’t realise it then, but those moments sparked something that would shape the path ahead of me: a genuine passion for problem-solving.”

This spark grew into a decision to study maths at degree level. “I loved the clarity of it—the way a complex idea could unfold logically, step by step, until everything clicked into place. But what I didn’t know at the time was that my career wouldn’t follow the ‘traditional’ maths route.”

Bex didn’t end up in a role where she spends her days solving equations or doing technical modelling. Instead, she found herself in a career where the thinking that maths teaches you matters just as much as the maths itself. “Critical reasoning, structured logic, and the discipline of showing your working are skills I use every single day. Maths taught me that the journey to the answer is just as important as the answer itself, and that mindset has shaped how I lead, collaborate, and make decisions.”

On International Women’s Day, she celebrates not just women in STEM, but all the women whose paths don’t always look linear or traditional. The foundations built through her maths education continue to support her in ways that are both powerful and unexpected.

🔗 Bring Bex into your classroom this National Careers Week and inspire your students: Book Bex here

Krina Solanki – Software Engineer, Goldman Sachs

Youtube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXMhtettgwQ 

Krina’s love for maths began in school, where she enjoyed breaking big problems into smaller parts, uncovering the unknowns, and building confidence in her solutions. “That same curiosity, resilience, and problem-solving mindset has guided my STEM career—developing software solutions that make an impact around the world.”

“Maths isn’t just about numbers. It’s about curiosity, resilience, and the confidence to tackle challenges you’ve never faced before. By nurturing these skills early, I was able to turn classroom learning into real-world impact, from solving complex coding problems to collaborating with my team to create innovative solutions.”

She is passionate about encouraging girls to explore, thrive, and lead in STEM. “When girls embrace maths and STEM, they gain not just knowledge, but confidence, opportunity, and choice.”

🔗 Bring Krina into your classroom this National Careers Week and inspire your students: Book Krina here

Esther Wershof – Machine Learning Scientist, Altos Labs

Youtube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6qBAFMyvnc 

For Esther, maths has been the key to autonomy and choice in her career. “I chose to study maths to keep my options open—but what I discovered was far more powerful. Today, I work at the cutting edge of scientific research, building mathematical models to understand how cells behave and exploring how rejuvenation could help treat disease.”

“From healthcare to AI, finance to city planning, maths sits at the heart of innovation. Maths isn’t just about numbers. It’s about problem-solving, adaptability, and having the confidence to say, ‘I don’t know how to do that yet—but I can figure it out.’”

She is passionate about ensuring women lead in STEM, not just participate. “When girls embrace maths, they don’t just open doors—they gain autonomy, opportunity, and choice.”

🔗 Bring Esther into your classroom this National Careers Week and inspire your students: Book Esther here

This International Women’s Week, let’s continue empowering young women to see STEM not as a limitation, but as a doorway to possibilities. By celebrating these inspiring women, we can help the next generation gain confidence, curiosity, and courage to pursue their own paths in maths and STEM.