Elizabeth Sparrow facts for kids
Elizabeth Sparrow is a British expert in computers and technology. She is known for helping big organizations manage important changes and work well with other companies. She used to be the president of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, which is a major professional group for people working in technology.
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Early Life and Learning
Elizabeth Sparrow was born in west London, England. She went to school at Notting Hill and Ealing High School.
She studied mathematics at the University of Southampton and earned her first degree in 1973. Later, in 1975, she got a master's degree in information studies from the University of Sheffield.
She also has a special diploma in accounting and finance, which she earned from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
Her Career in Technology
Elizabeth Sparrow started her career at the British Library. In 1980, she led a project to change how many different library catalogs were organized, making them easier to use with computers. In 1986, she also reviewed the Library Association Library.
Over 30 years, Elizabeth worked in information technology. She helped many organizations, both public and private, make big changes and improve how they worked. She became especially good at working with other companies that provided services, like outsourcing (when a company hires another company to do some of its work).
When she worked at the Crown Prosecution Service, Elizabeth helped manage a large change program. This program involved not only the CPS but also the police and courts. She held important leadership roles in the UK government, managing big contracts with different service providers. As the IT Director at the Home Office, she led a major project to improve their computer systems and started a new way of funding projects called a private finance initiative.
Elizabeth Sparrow is a Fellow of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, and also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Helping the Tech Community
At BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, Elizabeth led a group that looked at offshoring. Offshoring is when companies move some of their work to other countries. Her group saw this as both a challenge and a chance for the UK's technology workers. They studied offshoring and suggested ways for the UK's tech industry to deal with globalization, which is how the world becomes more connected. Elizabeth has often written and talked about how offshoring affects people.
Elizabeth Sparrow was the President of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, for about 17 months, from 2009 to 2011. During her time as president, she focused on programs to help the public trust technology more. She wanted everyone to use information better in their daily lives and become more involved in the information society.
She also chaired a special board that advised the School of Computing and Communications at the Open University.
Elizabeth is a Liveryman at the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists, which is an old guild for tech professionals. In 2021 and 2022, she was a trustee for their charity.
She has also been a board member and trustee for several charities, including AbilityNet, Barts Guild (connected to Barts Hospital), and Age UK London. She has spoken at many schools in London about water, sanitation, and hygiene, and the work of the charity WaterAid.
Elizabeth Sparrow has also created a series of school lessons about science and technology topics.
Awards and Special Recognition
- In 1989, she won the Gardner Merchant Award for an essay she wrote about women and taking a career break.
- In 2008, The Open University gave her an honorary doctorate. This was to recognize her public service and her work in special educational areas.
- In 2012, Kingston University gave her an honorary doctor of science degree. This award recognized her amazing contributions to the technology profession.
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Elizabeth Sparrow
