Ada Byron, also known as Ada Lovelace was born in 1815. The daughter of the famous poet, Lord Byron, applied her naturally creative mind to the study of mathematics – attempting to put the science of mathematics and technology into an “appropriate human context” (you can read more about Ada here). Today is Ada Lovelace Day – and in celebration of this remarkable woman, my colleague Marilyn Pratt is Launching the 2010 Ada Lovelace Day SCN Heroine Series their stories of other remarkable women. As part of the Ada Lovelace Day Blog Heroine series, I would like to honor Massy Mehdipour.
Founder and CEO of Skire, a construction and software business, Massy has shown the tenacity, imagination and passion to make her business successful. Along the way she has helped build and nurture the careers of dozens of her employees and become an integral part of the way that many Fortune 1000 companies manage their large scale construction projects.
Like Ada, Massy’s mathematical skills opened the door way to opportunity. She moved to Canada from Iran at age 18 to study at McGill University. From there she went to UC Berkeley to attend graduate school. But it’s not just her background or her experience that makes Massy inspirational. It’s her passion.
I have been fortunate to have met with Massy on a number of occasions and met her for lunch recently. When she speaks of her life and her experience – of the way that she focuses on people, their expertise and their abilities – it is clear that she not only inspires trust but also confidence. She drives business from what could be called a “people-centric” view. She restlessly seeks innovative ways of working with her teams and her clients – and empowers them to deliver.
It seems to me that on a day honoring women in technology and science, that it is only befitting that Massy Mehdipour’s name be counted among the greatest and most inspiring women leaders in technology today.
