What I’d say to me back then – IFS CIO Belinda Finch on going from making the tea for male COBOL programmers to sharing her menopause moments with the boss

Of all the things that might inspire a career in technology, a rocket-themed address book is not the first that springs to mind. But that was the original spark for Belinda Finch’s 25-plus years and counting in the industry.

Finch recalls when she was 12 or 13, her father came home with a BBC Model B computer. Although it was intended for Finch and her two brothers, the latter were completely uninterested.

They were more interested in fighting with each other and sticking Lego up each other's noses.

This meant Finch had full reign over this amazing machine. She started out playing games on it, and then began reading the magazines her father bought on how to code in Basic. When Finch wanted a new address book, she decided rather than getting a standard one, she’d create her own. The resulting program in Basic was more aesthetically ...