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techUK deputy CEO, Antony Walker, talks of the importance in celebrating Ada Lovelace Day.

“Is today Tuesday?” my four year old daughter asked this morning. “Yes I think so “ I replied a little hazily. “Then its Ada Lovelace Day!” she announced proudly. My daughter knows all about Ada Lovelace, the lady who in olden times was good at maths and who wrote a code made up of numbers that would tell Mr Babbage’s calculator what to do and she knows all about Ada’s cat Mr Puff. Happily, my four year old daughter doesn’t know too much about the wider world just yet. But the fact that the first computer programmer was a woman is and will remain entirely unremarkable to her. And as her dad, that feels like a very good thing.

It didn’t used to be like this. I am not sure when I first heard about Ada. But I suspect I was closer to forty than four. And that is why it is so important to celebrate Ada Lovelace Day. To spread the word about a remarkable woman who helped to shape the modern world and who serves as a role model to all of our children, boys and girls.  So please do wish your friends happy Ada Lovelace Day. And for any little ones who want to know more, check out the Little People, Big Dream book about Ada Lovelace written Isabel Sanchez Vegara.

Happy Ada Lovelace Day everyone.

Read techUK's piece on Ada Lovelace Day as a way to encourage more women to consider pursuing a successful career in the tech industry.