About She Codes Australia
We're building Australia's most supportive in-person community for women learning to code.
Our team
Click a card to meet the people behind She Codes Australia.
Kate Kirwin
Founder and CEO
Kate Kirwin
Founder and CEO
Kate Kirwin is our Founder and CEO. She is a passionate advocate for women in STEM and innovation – with a background running hackathons, accelerators and event. Kate is also passionate about providing opportunities for people in regional Australia.
Lucy Nguyen
Community Manager
Lucy Nguyen
Community Manager
Lover of Taylor Swift and bringer of vibes, Lucy is our Community Manager in Brisbane. Lucy is a She Codes Plus alumni, accomplished web developer, and cares deeply about the community of coders nationally. Ask her about The Life of a Showgirl or the Life of a She Codes Girl!
Adelia Widyasari
Event Assistant
Adelia Widyasari
Event Assistant
Adelia is a Computer Science Student at Edith Cowan University, Events Assistant with She Codes, teaches children to code, works in hospitality AND runs the coding social club at her university. How does she have so many jobs? We will never know. Ask Adelia about events logistics, Kate’s calendar, all things Perth, and where to find the best cupcakes.
Our Impact
Can we throw some big numbers at you?
- With current trends, it will take approximately 122 years to close the gender pay gap.
- According to the Australian Computer Society - the Australian economy could expect a $25 billion uplift by 2035 if skills gaps amongst businesses are reduced. We bet you can guess where the biggest skill gaps lie.
- 45% of leaders report state that basic digital capabilities are important but 51% of employees self report that they lack at least one digital skill. What does that mean for career progression? And where do folks go to close that skills gap? We think we know the answer.
Since 2021 it has been part of our annual routine to produce Impact Reports, giving us insights into the effectiveness of the work we are doing but also, importantly, understanding the state of play in the Australian tech ecosystem more broadly. We believe that what get's measured gets managed - and that's just what these reports aim to do.
Inside this report we track the impact of our work across key indicators - economic, social, employment and community outcomes. This year we also included some stories from our community, to give a more personal insight into the impact of our work - and hopefully inspire you.
Where She Codes (so far)
Click a pin to see what we've been up to across Australia.
In the last 11 years we've run in-person events across metro and regional Western Australia (Perth, Mandurah, Yanchep, Geraldton, Karratha, Port Hedland, Bunbury, Albany, Newman, and Broome), Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Ipswich Queensland! If you would like to see us come to your region — reach out via our contact form.
Our journey
From our first workshop to today — click through to go on the journey with us.
2015
It all started when we ran our first workshop under the brand Perth{web}Girls — budgets were so tight, the organising committee even made 80 muffins the night before for breakfast for participants.
2016
BHP joined us as our first major partner.
2017
Begun working with Robert Walters Recruitment, and providing opportunities to connect women to work.
2018
Started our first regional programs in Bunbury and Port Hedland.
March 2019
Founder Kate Kirwin won a Rising Stars award from the West Australian and Northern Star Resources.
July 2019
Started the first Plus program in Perth, impacting 25 women.
July 2019
We also rebranded to She Codes Australia, recognising the huge growth of the program from Perth to national.
October 2019
Held our first Flash program in Perth.
March 2020
In 2020 came a global pandemic, and the start of our online programs, with a virtual Flash program, a blended online/remote regional program in Geraldton, and a virtual coding party with participants from 3 countries around the world.
June 2020
2020 saw the start of our Brisbane programs, with 17 women graduating the first Plus program.
March 2021
In 2021 our Founder Kate Kirwin won a Business News 40under40 award for her work on She Codes, and later that year Technical Lead Hayley van Waas won a Women in Tech WA Tech[+] award.
May 2021
Ran our first Pilbara Plus cohort, with 6 women in the Pilbara region of Western Australia completing the program.
August 2021
Produced our first annual Impact Report.
June 2022
Launched in Sydney.
September 2022
First simultaneous cohorts of Sydney and Perth Plus programs commence.
Nov 2023
Kate Kirwin recognised as the 2024 WA Young Australian of the Year.
Jan 2024
Restructured, spinning out She Codes from Spacecubed into a new company — She Codes Australia Pty Ltd.
2025
Expanded our offering to cover internal corporate workshops at partners offices (we even met Telstra's robot dog Luna!).
Oct 2025
Kicked off a series of Melbourne based workshops (some even were on sunny days!)
Feb 2026
Unveiled our fresh new look with a brand refresh - same name, same colour palette, fresh look and feel.
Mar 2026
Brought our iconic one day event to Canva Cafe in Sydney!
Our team are multi-award winning
Our Values
- Connected
- Lead from the front
- Candid
- Impact Driven
- Pay it Forward
- Female Focussed but Male Friendly
- Positive and Fun
