Team

Meet the people behind our mission.

Founder

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  Iffat Rose Gill

  CEO

  Iffat Rose Gill is the CEO and founder of The Code to Change. She is a social innovator, digital strategist, and globally recognized leader in women’s digital inclusion. With a remarkable track record, she has established impactful programs, initiatives, and partnerships to address the skilled labor shortage and empower women in tech leadership roles.

  Under her leadership, The Code to Change has transformed the lives of nearly 15,000 women across Europe and Asia through its digital-skills training programs. Iffat’s outstanding work has earned her a nomination for the prestigious UNESCO Prize for Girls and Women’s Education, and she actively advocates for gender equality and bridges the skills gap on the global stage. Her unwavering commitment to digital inclusion is paving the way for a more inclusive future.

Legal Board

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  Riekje Kok

  Legal Board

  Riekje Kok has an extensive career marked by impactful contributions to women’s empowerment and gender-related initiatives. She has served in various leadership roles, including being an instrumental member of the interim board for the Global Network of Women Shelters (GNWS), which aims to provide refuge and support to women worldwide. Her leadership extended to organizations like Toevluchtsoord, where she directed efforts to create safe spaces for women. Riekje’s commitment to gender-related issues is evident through her directorial roles at TransAct (now Movisie) and Metis, Bureau Vrouwenhulpverlening Nederland, where she advised on gender perspectives in healthcare.

  Her involvement in significant projects, such as the merger of five organizations into TransAct, showcased her ability to drive change and innovation. From founding the National Support Organization for Women’s (Health)Care to advocating for gender-related matters, Riekje’s impactful journey has made a lasting difference in the realm of women’s well-being.

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  Olia Gladkova

  Legal Board

  Olia Gladkova is an accomplished professional with expertise in data and technology transformation. She has held pivotal roles in esteemed organizations, driving impactful change and innovation. At Redkite, as an Associate Director, Olia’s role involves large-scale data and technology transformation, along with active participation in ESG compliance and reporting initiatives.

  During her tenure at Deloitte, Olia served as a Senior Manager, contributing significantly to data and IT architecture, while also embracing technical responsibilities.

  Olia’s prior experiences at PwC, Guardian PHX, and ING as a Data Expert and Manager underscore her prowess in data governance, management processes, reporting, and system implementation. Her career has been defined by an ability to navigate complex challenges, ensuring regulatory compliance while enhancing commercial efficiency.

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  Amber Rahim

  Legal Board

  Amber Rahim is a skilled coach with a decade-long track record in addressing leadership and diversity challenges in STEM sectors. As the founder of Amber Rahim Coaching, she assists individuals and organizations during transitions, engaging a diverse clientele including STEM professionals, executives, and entrepreneurs. Based in the Amsterdam Area, Amber designs events for leadership teams and emphasizes sustainable behavior change in her coaching. Her approach draws from coaching, neuroscience, and positive psychology, fostering agility and resilience tailored to individual needs. She offers Leadership & Professional Development Programs, Individual Coaching, and excels in facilitating strategic conversations. With expertise in topics like Leadership, Change Implementation, Career Development, Decision Making, and addressing Imposter Syndrome, Amber Rahim’s coaching creates impactful growth and transformation.

Advisory Board

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  Diana Eggleston

  Advisory Board Member

  Diana is Business Advisor Impact Economy & NGOs at The Hague Business Agency. She leads the international program to attract purpose-driven businesses and NGOs to The Hague. She works closely with the Municipality to create a thriving ecosystem for organisations that address the global challenges, as defined by the UN SDGs. An entrepreneur with a background in corporate strategy consulting, Diana ran her own business for over a decade and serves on a number of advisory boards.

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  Ansa Wasim

  Advisory Board

  Ansa Wasim is currently working as a Senior Manager Global Innovation and Investment Incentives at Deloitte Netherlands, and she strives to accelerate innovative and sustainable development in these sectors by solving bottlenecks in different areas and by supporting companies and projects with the development of viable business cases and how to meet the right conditions to attract financing. Her ambition is to support, stimulate and create innovative projects which contribute to a healthy, inclusive and sustainable society.

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  Heather Swope

  Advisory Board Member

  With years of experience in IT, Heather is currently working as a solidity engineer. She has held various roles as SOA specialist, developer, team lead, and architect. Her expertise spans sectors like telecommunications, travel, government, and energy.

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  DR. Didem Gurdur Broo

  Advisory Board Member

  An experienced researcher who is trained as a computer scientist. She holds MSc in sustainable environment and energy systems and PhD degree in mechatronics. Currently, she is a research associate at the University of Cambridge at the Department of Engineering. Her current research interest is on data science for cyber-physical systems such as collaborative robots, autonomous vehicles and smart cities. She strongly advocates the importance of transdisciplinary, collaborative research.

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  Khizir Naeem

  Advisory Board Member

  Khizar is a Pakistani-born entrepreneurship enthusiast based out of Amsterdam, Netherlands. He works with companies and individuals to inspire and support them in their entrepreneurial journey. Currently, he’s working with Deel (the fastest growing SaaS in the world) as Senior Product Manager API & Partnerships. Khizar’s mission is “to help entrepreneurs succeed” With a software engineering and entrepreneurial background, Khizar has collaborated with global market leaders like Techstars, Google for Entrepreneurs, the University of Amsterdam, and Salesforce.

The Code to change Team

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  Halima Chaudhry

  Projects

  Halima is a Project Lead at the Code to Change, with a Master’s degree from Seoul National University. She has several years of experience in project management, with a focus on initiatives aimed at empowering women in the tech industry. Halima’s expertise in managing complex projects has been honed through her work with various organizations across the globe. Her commitment to empowering women in tech is further strengthened by her education, which has provided her with a global perspective on gender issues in the tech industry.

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  Michelle Koomen

  Partnerships

  Michelle Koomen is a projectlead at The Work in Tech program initiated by INCO Academy. The program is an Europe-wide program, through which learners with diverse backgrounds can launch their career in tech. The target group are people that are traditionally underrepresented in the tech sector, we focus on migrant women and refugees. Besides working as projectlead Michelle loves to connect with other organisations and explores partnerships within the Netherlands. She studied Law and Globalisation and her expertise is migration and social entrepreneurship.

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  Rajasekhar Thota

  Curriculums

  Raja is a graduate in Mechanical Engineering with 5 years of experience in EdTech delivering curriculum in STEAM(Robotics and Automation, Internet of Things, Game making and 3D printing) and consulting for IoT start-ups for prototype development. Raja has worked on Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning projects which include NLP for analyzing situational reports from W.H.O. of COVID-19, Computer Vision for sketcher app, HR analytics, Conversational AI and Cognitive Intelligence for safe and secure banking transactions and Intelligent Environment Monitoring leveraging IoT and Machine Learning. Loves to explore the trends in technologies attending conferences and hackathons.

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  Waqar Tayyub

  Trainings

  Waqar Tayyub is a seasoned training professional and IT specialist with over a decade of experience in the field. He is Microsoft Certified IT Professional, Facebook Blueprint Certified for Small and Medium Businesses, Wordpress SEO Blueprint Certified from Kent Mauresmo and Certified Professional Life Coach from Transformation Academy USA. He is currently serving as CEO of OneStep Corporation Pakistan, Senior Trainer at E-Rozgaar Program, Punjab Information Technology Board and Vice President at Pakistan Learning Forum Multan Chapter.

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  Karla Gonzalez de Vos

  Learner Engagement Lead

  Karla is a qualified Venezuelan lawyer with experience in civil law, commercial law, and labor law from working with various companies in Venezuela. She obtained her LLM degree in commercial law: Transport & Maritime law from the Erasmus University of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. In November 2022, Karla joined The Code to Change as the Learner Engagement Lead. Her main objective is to ensure that students of the Google Programs have a positive experience during their studies by serving as a bridge between the students and the Google Programs. She is responsible for supporting students who encounter issues during their online studies and providing them with answers and solutions. Additionally, Karla oversees the enrollment process and monitor the students’ progress and engagement within the programs.