PyCon UK 2022

Giving Python to non-developers: A real-life story
2022-09-17 , Assembly Room

Learn how JPMorgan gave access to Python to hundreds of non-developers: what infrastructure was required, what training was given and how to shift the culture. Lessons learnt from the human side of Python.


When JPMorgan decided to give Python development tools to hundreds of non-developers, it was a no-brainer.

Given the huge amounts of financial data available and the tools becoming easier to use, it made sense to allow the business to extract relevant information directly themselves.

But how?

Clearly the infrastructure had to be there: a Python development & runtime environment, access to data and to JPMorgan analytics.

But having the infrastructure ready was only the beginning. We needed training. It needed to be relevant, rewarding, and even fun.

And what about the culture? How do we get non-developers to take their first plunge into Python, and then get into good development habits, without becoming full-time developers?

This is the story of our on-going journey. We learnt some important lessons along the way. We’ll share them so that you too can give Python to non-developers.


Is your proposal suitable for beginners? – yes

Philippe works in Quantitative Research at JPMorgan. He has been working at the cross-point of technology, finance and mathematics for over 20 years, specialising in trading and risk management systems.
He is passionate about good quality code, testing, and how to deliver business benefit through technology.

Rita works in the Equities Quantitative Research team at JPMorgan. She focuses primarily on strategic initiatives to help the Sales & Trading functions become more data driven and is the global coordinator of the Markets Data & Analytics training. Prior to her role, Rita spent more than 4 years in the credit risk organization working on developing the next generation credit rating models and on portfolio analysis and regulatory capital modeling.