About Liza Layne
I’m passionate about empowering women to get into tech and stay in there!
My Story
Liza Layne exhibited the qualities of a leader in tech early on. As a young girl, she took an interest in electronics by diagnosing issues with domestic appliances which led her to direct her father on how to fix them.
With the introduction of a home computer, her father directed her towards developing her curiosity to learn how to code, her talents also took on a competitive side when she designed a computer game to play with her older sister (that was cleverly rigged in Liza’s favor).
At the age of ten, her passion for technology was born, the leadership and confidence required to hack a computer game and claim victory over her sister were qualities that would carry far into her future.
Liza began her education at London South Bank University in organic chemistry and physics with a computer science focus, but after realizing that track didn’t reflect her real passion, she switched her degree to focus solely on computer science.
After graduation, she began her career in the financial services industry as a software engineer and eventually on a path of working in Business Intelligence and Data Analytics. She enjoyed the technical side of working with data, along with the creative side of visualising data insights. Almost a decade into her career, she decided to get her master’s degree in big data and data analytics at the University of Westminster.
She now holds a position she once aspired to, as Lead Data & Analytics and System Enterprise Manager at Eurostar, where she oversees strategic roles and business intelligence. Much of her role involves hiring new talent, expertise she uses to support women she meets through her community work with AnitaB.org.
Her support of driving for inclusion started by being one of the founders of a London Credit Union serving as a Director, holding the posts of General Secretary and Compliance Officer from 2009 to 2011.
Joining AnitaB.org in 2017 as a volunteer has driven her to forge growth in AnitaB.org’s London Chapter which led to her being invited to speak at AnitaB.org Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC), the world’s largest gathering of women technologists in 2018 and 2019
Her vision is to empower women to get into tech and stay in there! She is an active member of AnitaB.org volunteer communities serving as joint-conference chair for the 2019 AnitaB.org London Hopper x1, Chapter Point of Contact for AnitaB.org London, inaugural member AnitaB.org’s Membership Mid-Career committee now serving as a Co-Chair, and GHC Data Science CFP reviewer
Speaking about my passions
2021
ACM-W Women in Data panel discussion – Feb 03
ACM-W Celebrating Technology Leaders hosted by Dr Bushra Anjum, with fellow women working in data Lilla Czakó, Liza Layne, and Samia Khalid.
Together we will discuss, what are some of the most in-demand data careers? What are the top skills required to be an analyst, scientist, engineer, or manager in the data space?How can one break into the field of data science?
How do we expect the data landscape to evolve in the next decade, especially fueled by the COVID era? And most importantly, how did their unique personal background, interests, and career aspirations led them to be where they are today?
Aginext.io Agile People Panel
March 18
What is Agile HR? How do we bring the agile mindset to everyone in an organisation? How can we make sure we foster a workplace that welcomes everyone no matter where they work?
These will be just some of the topics discussed over this 45-minute panel on Day Two of Aginext 2021. Aginext’s own Jennifer Riggins will host this panel and will be joined by Andrea Darabos, Steph South, and Tanya Spencer, and myself.
Don’t miss the 3-day LIVE and Online conference from 17th to 19th March.
2020
Mico Yuk Analytics on Fire ? PODCAST
AoF 49: 3 Career Changing Habits for Analytics Leaders
AoF 49: 3 Career Changing Habits for Analytics Leaders w/ Liza Layne
Do you want to climb the career ladder and change your trajectory from simply being a developer of data to managing it?
As a woman in tech working with data and an original BI Dashboard Formula student, I share three career-changing steps for analytical leaders and developers.
Join me on BI Brainz Co-founder Mico Yuk Podcast
AnitaB.org Presents: A Candid Conversation: Building an Antiracist Society Recording and Resource
AnitaB.org CEO and President Brenda Darden Wilkerson discussed the importance of building an antiracist society with leaders Dr. Kamau Bobb, Global Lead, Diversity Strategy & Research at Google; Andrea Fishman, Partner at PWC; Liza Layne, AnitaB.org London Community Leader; and Alexandria Butler, Senior Program Manager at Twitter.
Goole Developers Group Devfest Caribbean 2020
Level up from IC Data Engineer to Data Manager?
Data engineering roles are in high demand, yet the number of women in manager or leadership roles has not shifted. As a hiring manager, I will give you insight into how to tailor your application to go for a manager role, what hiring managers look for in an applicant, how to highlight your skills as a leader.