On completion of a Computer Science degree over 40 years ago Barbara followed a career in HE culminating in the position of Associate Head of the School of Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences at UCLan.

Since 1985, she has been actively involved in the BCS, initially as Secretary of the YPG and moving on to undertake various roles on numerous Committees and Boards including Council and Trustee Board.

To complement her academic work she was seconded on several occasions to work for the NHS in the areas of usability and accessibility, and was involved with several small companies and consultancies.

She currently acts as Moderator for the UK IT Industry Awards Personal Excellence category as well as the BCS IT and Digital Apprenticeship Awards and continues her career as a QA and UX Consultant.

Jackie Watson enjoyed a successful career in IT for over 30 years, since graduating in 1984 from the University of Aston in Birmingham with a Combined Honours degree in Mathematics and Computer Science. She started her career at Marconi Underwater Systems Ltd as a graduate engineer, moving to Easams Ltd in 1986 undertaking programming and IT system management roles before joining the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in 1990.

A conscientious, hardworking, and friendly IT Professional, Jackie enjoyed the challenges of IT System Management and of managing technical IT Teams in Networks and Systems Management in her 32 years at AWE. She found great personal reward in mentoring colleagues and sharing her knowledge and experiences over many years, helping others to develop and achieve their potential.

A Chartered Member of the British Computer Society (BCS) and Head of Profession for IT at AWE, October 2010 to April 2022, Jackie worked closely with BCS to manage and grow the Organisational Membership and experienced many changes during her years at AWE, both technically and personally. As Head of Profession for IT, she instigated and managed the introduction of IT Graduate and Apprentice Programs in 2018-2019 and supported graduates and apprentices personally and technically until her early retirement in April 2022 at the age of 58.

Jackie enjoyed her first two years of retirement with her husband of 11 years, Jon. They shared a love of walking, music, and motorbikes, enjoying several overseas motorbiking organised tours, including Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, and Switzerland. Sadly, Jon passed away suddenly in April 2024, leaving Jackie to face her retirement alone. Support of family and friends has helped Jackie to stay positive and to continue to look forward to her future creating new memories.

She likes to stay fit by swimming a mile each week and loves to read for relaxation. Other interests include gardening, listening to music, walking with friends, and watching football and darts on tv. Jackie has just bought a new set of golf clubs after 41 years and is excited to get back into playing golf. A trip of a lifetime is also planned for 2025 to visit family in Australia and to experience MotoGP in Australia too.

Jackie has two daughters and is looking forward to meeting her first grandchild in April 2025.

She enjoys working with BCS as a Moderator for the IT Apprentice and UK IT Awards, keeping her in touch with the IT industry.

Positivity has always been a big part of Jackie’s life and always will be.

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