Tyrone upbringing inspired Sheree to become a diversity champion

“I succeeded out of spite.” These powerful words were expressed by Tyrone woman, Sheree Atcheson when she appeared on RTE’s ‘The Tommy Tiernan Show’ recently.

Sheree was referring to her ‘complicated and difficult’ childhood growing up in Coalisland – and how it was the racism that she experienced in her young years that inspired her to rise up as of one of the UK’s ‘most influential women in technology’.

Fast-forward to the present, and she is also an international multi-award winner for services to diversity and inclusion in industry.

Sheree was born in Sri Lanka, but she was raised in Coalisland during the 1990s by adopted parents until leaving for university at the age of 18.

Following her studies, she carved out a successful career as a software engineer, and went on to establish a non-profit organisation for women in the tech industry.

She often speaks openly of her motivation to champion diversity in the workplace; having been picked on in her youth due to the colour of her skin.

“I was bullied both in school and at home, and that made for a complicated and difficult childhood – if you could even call it that, really,” Sheree told the TyroneHerald.

“I had to grow up much quicker at a young age, because of various traumatic things that happened to myself, as well as my family.”

Reflecting upon attitudes to different cultures in Northern Ireland following her personal experiences, Sheree stated, “There has been progress made, but not enough.

“We see much more immigration, different cultures and religions coming together in ways that they haven’t before.

“The mixing of different people is always a good thing – it takes us out of our own echo chambers.

“However, racism is still very much a part of anywhere, and the North of Ireland is no different.”

Sheree is now a published author, and has featured in, or written for, publications like Forbes; Fast Company; the Evening Standard; HuffPost; Marie Claire; Wired; the Guardian; and the Sunday Telegraph.

Her first book, ‘Demanding More’, is described as ‘THE book to read to understand diversity and inclusion’.

Indeed, her career in engineering gave Sheree first-hand experience of the problems she now works to fix.

At the beginning of her profession, she took the plunge, and led the expansion of the global non-profit, titled ‘Women Who Code’, which works to change the face of technology. She launched, and led, the group’s expansion across the UK, building remote teams, creating partnerships with organisations to create meaningful change in this work. She now sits as an Advisory Board Member at WWCode.

Given her experience as a software engineer, she takes an analytical and data-driven approach to diversity, equity and inclusion – creating inclusion that scales and delivers accountability embedded at the core.

So, what inspired Sheree to pursue such an innovative and flamboyant career?

“My work brings together both engineering and inclusion, because the advancement of technology is continuous and it’s key that this advancement includes everyone.

“The turning point was when I graduated from university, and I delved into creating more opportunities for women in tech.

“Now, my work spans global across all different cultures, sectors and industries.”

Throughout the late ‘90s and early 2000s, Co Tyrone experienced a surge in immigration, with people relocating from all over the world to avail of job opportunities in the area.

Many have happily settled here, providing a valuable contribution to local society.

Unfortunately, issues like racism and bullying haven’t totally been eradicated, but Sheree shares an inspiring message to anyone who may find themselves in a similar situation to what she experienced growing up.

“For anyone feeling isolated, and, perhaps, with no-one to depend on whilst struggling with mental health, my advice is simple: Focus on the things you can control,” she states,

“There will always be people who will be against you; whether that’s friends, family or strangers, and that you should never prioritise them over yourself. But look after yourself, and remember that, for everyone close-minded out there, there are so many others who will support you – you just might not have crossed paths with them yet.”

In 2017, Sheree was reunited with her biological mother in Sri Lanka following a major news story that turned her into a household name in the country of her birth.

Many claimed to be the mother of the influential Sheree, but following a DNA test, her real mother was found, and they reunited on live television.

“The news story was really big when it went out all those years ago,” she told the ‘Herald.“I spent time in Sri Lanka afterwards, working with a lot of different universities, communities and schools to help inspire more young people in tech.

“I have no idea if those people still know me now, but I’m all good with that!”

Sheree now lives in Kent, England, with her husband of seven years, Sean (a Ballygawley native), and their pup, Josie.

“My plans, moving forward, are to keep making an impact,” she said.

“My next book is due out in April and I’m super excited to share more about that soon.”

Looking ahead to the future, Sheree wants to maintain a good work/life balance, and fully intends to ‘always push the boundaries’ as she excels further in her career and personal life.