Our Team

Our Founder

Marieme Jamme

iamtheCODE Founder

Mariéme Jamme is an award-winning Technologist and pioneer in system change and a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. In Sept 2017, she was the first black woman to win the Innovation Award at the Global Goals Award 2017 by UNICEF and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as a GoalKeeper for her work in advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, supporting globally young women and girls and governments. She was nominated on the BBC 100 Power Women UK list and was named twice on the UK Powerlist as Britain’s 100 most influential people of African and African Caribbean Heritage.

Mariéme Jamme became the Duke of York Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award (iDEA), Industry Ambassador in 2018.

Marieme’s latest venture includes the launch of IAMTHECODE, as the first African-led global movement aiming at mobilising governments, businesses, philanthropic foundations and investors to support marginalised girls and young women to have access to STEAMD (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics, and Design) education. Her goal is to empower 1 million young women and girls globally to become coders by 2030. iamtheCODE is a UN reconsigned organisation. Mariéme is a Board of Director the World Wide Web Foundation, founded by Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the Web and is the first senegalese woman to have made it to the North Pole.

Our Patron

Christopher Schlaeffer

Patron

Christopher is a European technology executive and serial founder. He served as Chief Digital Officer of VEON (NASDAQ: VEON) as well as Chief Product & Innovation Officer, Corporate Development Officer and Chief Strategy Officer of Deutsche Telekom (Xetra: DTE). His new company is NYOUM.

Together with Andy Rubin, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Peter Chou and Cole Brodman Christopher unveiled the world’s first mobile phone based on Android, T-Mobile G1. In 2007, he and Tim Cook closed Apple ́s first partnership on iPhone outside the US. Christopher started his career with Accenture.

Christopher has been recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader and ranked one of the Top50 Innovators To Watch. He takes an avid interest in promoting an open information society, science, arts and equality and graduated from the Vienna University of Economics.

Director

Akira Kirton

Commercial Director - European Acetyls

Akira Kirton is an Advisory Board Member for iamtheCODE and Managing Director of the Europe & Asia team for BP Ventures. BP Ventures has invested over $500m in 40 companies across the core energy business, and new areas that include digital technology, bioenergy, low carbon power, and advanced mobility.

Akira also sits on the boards of Alyssum Ltd (aka Fly Victor), Tricoya Technologies, Fulcrum Bioenergy, Solidia Technologies, and the OGCI Climate Investments (a $1bn fund).

Akira has a Masters in Chemical Engineering and a Bachelors degree in Law & Management. He is a 2008 IChemE Innovation Award Winner, a 2012 Marshall Memorial Fellow and 2015 World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. On a pro-bono basis Akira sits on the educational advisory board of the European Climate KIC. He is hugely passionate about education and youth programmes.