A delegation representing coding bootcamp Northcoders opened the London Stock Exchange this morning.
The Manchester- and Leeds-based business was named Business of the Year at the 15th Annual Chamber Business Awards in November, earning the honour.
Chris Hill and Amul Batra – both directors of Northcoders – were joined by a host of supporters at the event including Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester; Darren Earnshaw, Technology Director at Barclays Ventures; Tim Griggs, Associate Director at Arup; Emer Coleman, Technology Engagement at Co-op Digital; and Joseph Venables, Head of Business Development at Bruntwood SciTech.
“We felt proud beyond words to be named Business of the Year by the Chamber,” said Batra.
“Being recognised in this way encouraged us to reflect on our successes so far in helping the North to thrive and in helping individual people to change their lives. To be able to celebrate that by opening the London Stock Exchange with our supporters, including Andy, representatives from our hiring partners and our talented graduates was a real honour.”
Several graduates from Northcoders’ courses as well as representatives from some of the firm’s hiring partners – including ThoughtWorks – also travelled to London.
After starting trading for the day, the British Chambers of Commerce hosted a breakfast reception where Andy Burnham and Amul Batra spoke.
Northcoders also used the event to detail two new initiatives that aim to encourage more women to pursue a career in tech.
The first is a new scholarship programme for women with global technology consultancy ThoughtWorks; and the second is the launch of a number of accessibility places with InnovateHer – a Liverpool based organisation that works to empower girls and tackle inequality in tech.