Kaammini spoke at length to her audience of pupils and alumni about her career pathway and how her experiences at FHS have been of influence. During and after completing her MSc in Gender, Development and Globalisation at the London School of Economics, Kaammini volunteered for the domestic abuse charity, Refuge, before applying to work for a National Graduate Development Scheme within local government. Here, she focused on homelessness, where she used her experience as a front-line worker to transform local council policy. Passionate about equality, Kaammini also founded ‘Gender in the City’, an intersectional and feminist website, enabling her to share ideas and network with like-minded people from across the globe.
 
Upon completion of the scheme, Kaammini went on to work for Business in the Community. Here, she supported 150 organisations with their diversity and inclusivity agendas before moving to Vodafone, where she has worked for almost 2 years as UK Diversity and Inclusion Manager. Kaammini’s role focuses on supporting employees to feel included and represented within the organisation. 
 
Kaammini spoke of her time at FHS, reflecting on her tendencies to worry, her dedication to studying hard and the grounding her family gave her. Kaammini enjoyed drama immensely at Francis Holland, and was given plenty of public speaking opportunities, especially so as part of the Head Girl team. Kaammini stressed how these communication skills, honed while at school, have been instrumental in her future career success. The School’s Help Fund was a great means for Kaammini to immerse herself in and learn about charity work at an early age.
 
Kaammini advised of the positives of being able to adapt and flex in the modern world, with no fixed or rigid pathway required to achieve career success. 
Kaammini ended her lecture by taking questions from her audience. Here she discussed the importance of being humble and ‘not always right’ and to be able to fail safely and build resilience, advising, ‘follow what matters to you, what is right for you’. She stressed the importance of empathy and kindness – the ability to listen and support others as key to building an identity and developing relationships in the workplace.
 
Also discussed are the various work experience opportunities that are available at Vodafone. The ‘Code like a Girl’ programme, for 14–18-year-old girls, as the title suggests, teaches girls to code but also empowers them to flourish in the world of tech. An Innovators programme for students and a graduate apprenticeship programme are also available. For more information, please see details here: Work Experience | Vodafone.co.uk
 
Many thanks to Kaammini for her empowering and inspirational talk.